The return of Nurse Blake

Nurse Blake (Blake Lynch) sold out the Rialto for two shows on his last visit to Tucson in September. It’s possible that not every nurse and orderly in Tucson saw that show, but that train has left the station. He’s bringing a whole new show next week in “Nurse Blake: Shock Advised.”

A Nurse Blake show is a multimedia affair, with props, video and costumes to add to the fun. His subject matter can be macabre, but it’s always well within medical professionals’ personal experience. And when he gets technical, he makes sure the rest of us get insights into the lives of those we know whose days are spent treading hospital floors.

Lynch worked full time in trauma centers, and it was about those times that he began creating the videos that exploded on YouTube and made him a comedy star.

To cope with stress with his nursing job, Blake started posting lighthearted original comedy videos aimed at his profession. The videos connected with healthcare workers around the world, went viral, and gained @NurseBlake 300 million views and nearly 4 million followers on social media.

Now comedy is his life and he’s taken it to stages all over the world. Meanwhile, his “NurseCon at Sea” has become one of the world’s most popular nursing conferences.

Through his “Banned4Life Project,” the direct action he generated was influential in overturning a long-standing policy of the FDA that prohibited homosexuals from donating blood. Now he’s promoting healthy work environments for nurses, and has written the best-selling children’s book, “I Want to Be a Nurse When I Grow Up.”

“Nurse Blake: Shock Advised,” 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 6, The Fox Tucson Theatre, 17 W. Congress Street, tickets start at $47,www.foxtucson.com.

OTHER SHOWS THIS WEEK

Corbett Brewery, 309 E. Seventh Street, 7 p.m. Friday, July 28,

facebook.com/OffTheDeepEndComedyfree, “Off the Deep End Showcase,” T DOT Kingsley headlines, Cory Lytle hosts, Roy Lee Reynolds, Allana Erickson-Lopez, Codi Stucki, Manny Morales.

Hotel McCoy, 720 W. Silverlake Road, 7 p.m. Saturday, July 30,

hotelmccoy.com, free, clean comic Chris Haughton hosts, Monte Benjamin headlines, Brady Evans and Autumn Horvat round out the lineup.

Laff’s Comedy Caffe, 2900 E. Broadway Boulevard,

laffstucson.com. 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday, July 28, and 7 and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 29, $15, $20 preferred seating. “Star Search” semi-finalist and TV comedy redneck Steve McGrew

Tucson Improv Movement/TIM Comedy Theatre, 414 E. Ninth Street,

tucsonimprov.com; $7 each show, $10 for both shows, same night, free jam 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 27, “Cage Match; 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 28, Improv Jam; 7:30 p.m. “The Soapbox”; 9 p.m. Stand Up Showcase; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 29, “The Meeting” and “Finding the Words;” 9 p.m. “The Dirty Tees”

Unscrewed Theater, 4500 E. Speedway Boulevard,

unscrewedtheatre.org, $8, live or remote, $5 kids. 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 28, Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed (NBOJU); 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 29, NBOJU; 9 p.m. Adult (uncensored) “After School Special.”

This article appears in Jul 27 – Aug 2, 2023.