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Comedian Derek Edwards ready to bury his head in Vancouver Island sand

Award-winning Canadian comic will perform ‘In Praise of the Ostrich’
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Derek Edwards. Submitted photo

Derek Edwards is kind of like your funniest friend.

The stand-up comic is super easy going, and chuckles along as he’s telling joke-after-joke. His affable personality makes you want to root for him, and crowds have for three decades.

His first tour of British Columbia since BC (before COVID-19) was slated to start on April 21 in Chilliwack but the tour was postponed due to illness. Edwards fans can rejoice, however, his tour has been rescheduled and includes five stops on Vancouver Island starting Wednesday in Duncan.

Back in April in an interview with Black Press ahead of the spring tour, Edwards said he hopes the audience will wear masks, so he won’t be able to tell that they’re not smiling as he shakes off the rust from not having performed as often over the last two years.

“I’d really like a courteous and forgiving crowd as I get started out,” he jokes.

‘In Praise of the Ostrich’ is Edwards’ new 90-minute special.

Inspiration for the many jokes came just as regularly, even though he wasn’t out and about as much as he was used to.

“I could be inside watching Netflix, or whatever’s on the tube, and I’ll go –Ohhhh, that’s a great idea for a joke,” he said. “I could be retired for 20 years, and will still see something that will cause a knee-jerk reaction to write something down.”

Audience members can expect commentary on the influx of pot stores, self-driving cars, gambling tips, the challenge of staying youthful, and dressing warmly.

“It’s therapeutic for me to be working again,” he said. “So with therapeutic goodness on my end, and positive energy from the crowd that maybe haven’t had a night out in a while, I hoping its going to hit that crucial mass and kick it over the edge.”

Edwards Island shows also include Sept. 15 in Nanaimo, Sept. 16 in Victoria, Sept. 17 in Courtenay and Sept. 18 in Campbell River. For more information on those shows, click here.

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