Julie Kim is on a roll.
The Vancouver-based comedian has been winning new audiences of late both in Canada and through international touring across North America and as far afield as Australia.
Her winning style can be observed on a local level when she headlines a major theatre show this Saturday (May 26) at the White Rock Players Club’s Oceana PARC Playhouse (1532 Johnston Rd.) as part of the fourth annual White Rock Buskers and Comedy Festival.
On the same bill for the 7 p.m. show are host Chris Griffin (The Seattle International Comedy Competition), Jacob Samuel (Juno winner, Just For Laughs Winnipeg) and Katie-Ellen Humphries (CBC’s The Debaters).
“I think it’s a wonderful line-up – pretty much a dream team,” she said, adding that she feels that festival programming director Eric Y. Lapointe and the White Rock BIA are doing “a great job of bringing outstanding comedians to a very receptive audience in White Rock.”
READ ALSO: Buskers, comedy to mix at Five Corners fest in White Rock
The festival, which will bring free family-friendly busking entertainment to the streets during the daytime on May 27, also presents a plethora of ticketed night-time comedy to different uptown venues starting Thursday (May 25) at 7 p.m. at the White Rock Elks Club (1469 George St.) with White Rock’s own Hilarapy with Lizzie Allan and Friends (including Shulamite Mlobela, Kate Rice, Siobhan Coates, Kay Karoll, Ryan Uliana and hosted by White Rock Coun. Elaine Cheung).
The festival winds up Saturday (May 27) with shows at 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. at Laura’s Coffee Corner (15259 Pacific Ave.) headlined by popular local Ryan LaChance and featuring Alannah Brittany, Peter Hudson, Keith Nahanee, Arash Narchi and White Rock stand-up comic Lisa Person.
Other festival shows include a Thursday (May 25) 9 p.m. competitive open mic event at White Rock Beach Beer (15181 Russell Ave.) hosted by rising comic Chris Gaskin; and two venues presenting 7 p.m. and 9:15 pm. shows on Friday (May 26) – one at Blue Frog Studios (1328 Johnston Rd.) headlined by comedian and TV writer Patrick Maliha, the other at Islands Cafe (1237 Johnston Rd.) headlined by Nigerian-born Ola Dada, now one of Canada’s most sought-after comedians.
READ ALSO: Five Corners comedy fest returns to White Rock
Kim’s momentum – which has been building over the past five years or so – is now such that not even a world-wide pandemic (“perhaps you heard of it?” she asks) or even being the parent of a kindergarten age “bi-racial child” with her husband (“he’s a non-practising Italian,” she quips) have succeeded in slowing her down.
She was not one of the comics who pivoted to online platforms during the height of the pandemic. Instead she took a two-year break from performing, she said, fearing that virtual shows would dilute what she wanted to present.
“I came out fresh, and kind of on a mission,” she said.
Motherhood has also proven a boon to her comedy, she added.
“I think it made it even better. Parenting children is a universal theme, but you can always find something – some unique perspective – that makes it your own.”
The Toronto born-and-bred performer – who has been in the comedy business for barely a decade – toured North America last year for 40 large venue shows as the opener for Ronny Chieng (Crazy Rich Asians, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah).
Well known from appearances at all of Canada’s major comedy festivals, she’s also just as noted as a creative contributor behind the scenes – and has been given kudos for her writing and production talents on behalf of of Simu Liu’s hosting of the 2022 and 2023 Juno Awards.
Her online videos have garnered close to 50 million views and her recent debut at the biggest festival of its kind in the world – The Melbourne International Comedy Festival – won her new fans in Australia.
Her relatable style travelled well, she noted, and she found her societal observations were just as valid ‘Down-Under.’
“They’re a Commonwealth country – I didn’t have to explain too much,” she said.
alex.browne@peacearchnews.com
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