25 August 2006


Stand-up comedian and former broadcaster Mike Bodnar is launching his one-hour solo show at this year's Dunedin Fringe to help pay for future surgery.

 

"It's quite simple," explained the recent arrival on the New Zealand comedy scene. "Every 'celebrity' in New Zealand who gets pregnant, has a health scare, falls ill through a mysterious tropical illness, or is bitten on the bum by a spider, can afford the very best of private medical care simply by featuring on the cover of a women's magazine."

 

Bodnar said the fees for such exclusive stories – reputedly up to $25,000 depending on the degree of 'celebrity-ness' – had made him determined to succeed in comedy.

 

"I don't have any health insurance," he admitted. "So I figure the best way of covering the costs of any future medical issues is to become famous and sell my health-scare story to the magazines. I look forward to falling ill."

 

Bodnar said that the recent scandal where a New Zealand women's magazine featured two celebrities on the cover as being allegedly "pregnant" when they weren't, proves that you don't even have to be sick to make money.

 

"All I need to do is have a sell-out season of Beside Myself at the Dunedin Fringe   (October 3 to October 6 by the way), get rave reviews in all the papers, win 'Best Act' in the Festival, and then announce that my left arm hurts, and before you know it it'll be 'Comedy Star in Heart Attack Drama'. That should be worth about $15,000."

 

Bodnar, who has been doing stand-up for only a year, won Best Newcomer 2005 at Wellington's Green Room and has played numerous live gigs since, including Auckland and Wanganui. "We don't talk about Wanganui," he quickly added. He also performed in a three-man stand-up show at this year's Wellington Fringe Festival, where one reviewer described him as a "suave lover of words".

 

"She could have just stopped at 'suave lover'," said Bodnar. "But hopefully the tangential observational style of Beside Myself – Life in the Farce Lane, will attract record audiences and some happy reviewers in Dunedin. If you enjoy Gary Larson cartoons you'll enjoy me. I look like one of his cows."

 

And when he genuinely falls ill, how will he feel?

 

"I laugh in the face of sickness," he said. "How much are you offering for the story?"

 

ENDS.

Mike Bodnar performs Beside Myself – Life in the Farce Lane at

the Fringe Tent and Arc Café, Tuesday 3 October to Friday 6 October.

Bookings: Fortune Theatre, phone (03) 477 8323.

For an interview phone Mike on 027 208 9453 or email mgbodnar@gmail.com

For details of the Dunedin Fringe Festival Programme phone the Fringe office on (03) 477 3350 or email info@dunedinfringe.org.nz

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Mike Bodnar
http://mgbodnar.googlepages.com/home
www.writerfind.com/mbodnar.htm
Wellington, New Zealand