Front-line funny man slays ’em in a good way

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This article was published 03/05/2024 (521 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Pete Zedlacher’s The War Comic has been 20 years in the making.

A cross between standup and theatre, The War Comic chronicles Zedlacher’s experiences of performing for Canadian troops in the war zones throughout the Middle East and in northern Canada as part of the Department of National Defence’s Show Tours for Canadian Forces members deployed abroad and in isolated locations.

“I am one of a handful of very lucky people who get to go over there and perform,” says Zedlacher, a veteran comedian, who hails from Wawa, Ont.

“It’s one of these things where I have a wealth of experience and I thought, ‘There are interesting, amazing and genuinely funny stories.’”

The one-man show gets its Manitoba debut Saturday as part of the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, which runs to Sunday.

“War Comic has been a work in progress, but I really sat down and worked with playwrights two years ago, and then I brought it to Edmonton (fringe festival) to get it on its feet in front of an audience,” Zedlacher says.

The history of entertainers going to war zones and performing for the troops started in the era of U.S. comedian Bob Hope.

In Canada, it was the comedy duo of Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster who — as part of touring act The War Show, for which they wrote music and skits — entertained troops in Europe during the Second World War as a way to boost morale.

Soldiers, far away from home and often in perilous situations, can be some of the best audiences, Zedlacher says.

“Selfishly, I always say I love going to perform for the troops because they are so appreciative, so excited. I give them a piece of Canada again and they are finally being able to have something tangible from our country.”

He had made a number of assumptions about his audience before he met them, he admits, assuming he would be encountering “jacked-up Rambo types.”

“But when I was there, I met professionals, family men, people who work hard but just happen to have a job that nobody wants to do. They are a great representation of who we are as Canadians,” he says.

Zedlacher is donating $5 from each ticket to the Southern Chiefs’ Organization First Nations Veteran’s Program, which was launched seven months ago by Justin Woodcock, a First Nations veteran with eight years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces.

The program provides a range of services to support First Nations veterans in the province, including assistance with veterans affairs claims, traditional healing support and facilitating connections between First Nations veterans.

“It was the idea of Winnipeg Comedy Festival to involve this charity,” Zedlacher says. “I have done a lot of work with Wounded Warriors Canada (a national mental-health service provider for Canada’s veterans, first responders and their families) and we wanted to do something more local. We will be raising funds for a very good cause.”

av.kitching@winnipegfreepress.com