SURREY — What do you call a half-Indian, half-Scottish comedian whose stage name is derived from an Irish ballad?
A background like that calls for a name that cleverly reflects the roots of both sides of his family – and that name is Danny Bhoy.
But despite his mixed heritage, the 40-year-old comic opts not to bring race into his standup act. Rather, Bhoy brings a lot of observational humour to the stage, including jokes about his time working as an underage busboy at his uncle’s hotel.
“Every time I had a school vacation, I’d go up and work there collecting glasses,†he recalled. “I used to gravitate around the bar area and listen to all the stories and jokes that these old alcoholics would come in and tell in the afternoon when they should’ve been working.
“I owe everything to the drinks industry.â€
Bhoy pinpoints that job as his first exposure to comedy, but it wasn’t until he was in his 20s when he entered his first amateur competition – the Daily Telegraph Open Mic Award – and won, beating out more than a thousand entrants at the short-lived, but prestigious, contest.
“I wasn’t just new to comedy, I was quite new to the competition – it was really a competition for people who had been doing open mic nights for maybe a couple years,†he said. “The semifinal for that competition was literally, like, my 10th gig.
“I think not knowing how big it was probably helped me because I was able to just sort of take it in stride. I wasn’t expecting to win it – it was a bit of a shock for everyone.â€
That win sparked his quick rise to comedy stardom, leading him to a slot at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, followed by tours of numerous countries across the globe.
“When you win a competition like that, everyone books you to do 20 minutes, and I didn’t have 20 minutes,†he said with a laugh. “It was daunting – it still is, really. I haven’t really stopped to think about it. I think if I did, I’d get a bit terrified, but I’ve always just taken the next thing in front of me and worked towards that.â€
His loose, conversational style earned him a tour of Australia a few years back, where he fell off the stage one night into an orchestra pit.
“Thanks for bringing that up,†he told the Now.
The thing is, he wasn’t even the first person to fall into that pit.
“I was the fifth – you’d have thought they’d have filled it in,†he said. “I sort of arrived a little bit late in the day – we did soundcheck, but I didn’t really pace the theatre as I usually do.
“I had an opening which required me to be blinded so the audience saw a silhouette. I just kept walking and fell down into this pit.â€
Despite dislocating his shoulder and spraining his wrist, Bhoy dusted himself off and finished most of the show that night.
“I started to feel my shoulder completely seize up, and I said, ‘I think I have to finish here. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, and does anyone know an ambulance driver?’â€
Lucky for Bhoy, there’s no orchestra pit at Bell Performing Arts Centre in Surrey, where he’s set to perform next Wednesday and Thursday (April 2 and 3). Bhoy headlined there in 2009 as part of a tour with Sugar Sammy, Alonzo Bodden, Pete Correale and Godfrey, but this is the first time he’s brought his solo tour to the city.
This is also the first time Bhoy is bringing his latest act, Dear Epson, to Canada.
“I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s about the art of complaining,†he said. “In Britain, we whinge and moan about quite a lot of stuff – it’s really a journey through my own history of complaining about stuff.
“I’ve written these letters to certain companies, and the first one was to Epson to ask about the cost of their ink. That was the first letter to spurn this crusade. They’re in the title, but there are a lot of others that get it in the neck.â€
Tickets for Bhoy’s Surrey shows are available via ticketmaster.ca and by phone, 1-855-985-5000.
The Now is also giving away two tickets to the April 2 show. Details on how to enter can be found on our Facebook page.
jzinn@thenownewspaper.com