Although many Fanshawe students, including myself, were not yet alive when actress and comedian Andrea Martin rocked SCTV (Second City Television) through the mid-'70s and '80s, her sense of humour is hard to resist. While speaking with her, I couldn't get the image of her hilarious part from My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Aunt Voula, out of my head. Her other characters over the years, such as Edith Prickley, the leopard print wearing station manager of SCTV, or Pirini Scleroso, a woman struggling to learn English, are also definitely worth punching into YouTube if unfamiliar.

Martin's new show Final Days! Everything Must Go! is, as she described it, “a grab bag of comedy. It's really a comedy garage sale displaying gently used mementos from my past, so everything is up for grabs.” The show features sketches she's done for SCTV, characters she's played in movies, melodies from her years on Broadway and monologues she's performed. When I ask her if my favourite character of hers, Aunt Voula, makes an appearance in the show she assures me Aunt Voula returns in full swing, and even brings up members of the audience to teach them some Greek dancing. Although this show has a large focus on the characters Martin has portrayed throughout her career, she said putting together Final Days! Everything Must Go! also called for reflection of her personal life.

“It was very sentimental because I talk about my sons in the show ... and I just kind of use them, their birth and their life as markers in my career, so just reminiscing about where I was with them and what I was doing as their mom. It was very sentimental and nostalgic and heartwarming at the same time.”

The comedian is also known for her impressions of other celebrities. She talked about running into Barbra Streisand at a spa retreat in California after having imitated her for years. “The whole week we did classes together, jogged together, ate together and I kept thinking, ‘She's going to recognize me,' but she never once did. I felt really stupid.” Meeting Liza Minnelli, another impression done by Martin, was a completely different experience when they worked together on a movie. “On the last day of our shooting she says, ‘I hear you do me terrific!'”

Martin has been busy over the past months between working on a film, a new Broadway musical, as well as this new one-woman show. She spoke about performing in Canada as a special treat because “I started in Canada ... it's where my career took off, so I wanted to do this show in Canada where it felt like an extended family.” She also said that as much as she loves her established audience from her SCTV days, she thinks young people can also find a way to connect with her comedy.

“It's all about laughter, and I hope that younger people will come too, especially people with an appreciation for musical Broadway theatre, or a young aspiring musical performer ... so I hope that I can attract a younger audience as well as my peeps.” Andrea Martin's Final Days!

Everything Must Go! will take London's Grand Theatre main stage on November 13. For tickets, you can contact the Grand Theatre box office at (519) 672-8800, or visit grandtheatre.com.