Bristol Man Uses Comedy Show To Remember Standup Girlfriend

After the death of comedian Anita Wise, her boyfriend is turning to the stage to make sure her legacy of laughter and kindness continues.

Gary Bodner, of Bristol, is organizing a “Comedy for a Cause” standup show scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 1, to honor Wise, who died of cancer in January 2025.

The show will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Cary’s Music Room in the New Hope Inn and Suites at 6426 Lower York Road. A portion of event proceeds will benefit Southern Comfort Animal Rescue, a nonprofit organization that rehomed Wise’s cat following her death.

Tickets are available here: https://tinyurl.com/mvhw8vy5. 

The upcoming show features a lineup of veterans from the comedy circuit, including Julia Scotti, who rose to national prominence on “America’s Got Talent” in 2016; Paul Lyons, a standup comedian, writer, and inspirational speaker; and Vince Valentine, a Philadelphia native who has toured nationally since 2003 in the one-man Broadway production “Defending the Caveman.”

“She was one of the kindest people,” Bodner said of his “sweet Anita.” “All she did was spread love and happiness. This is honoring her. She’s the sweetest, most kind person who would do anything for anybody.”

Wise, a resident of Pennington, New Jersey, built a local following in the New Hope area through her own comedy performances and those of her late husband, guitarist T.J. Tindall, who regularly played at John and Peter’s.

Beyond Bucks County, Wise established herself in the comedy industry during the mid-1980s in New York City and Los Angeles. She had appearances on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” a Bob Hope television special, and two episodes of “Seinfeld.”

A few years after Tindall died in 2016, Wise performed alongside Scotti in the “Women of a Certain Age” lineup and in the nationally recognized Dry Bar comedy showcase.

Scotti, 74, first worked with Wise in Philadelphia during the mid-1980s.

“Even back then she was beloved by everybody,” Scotti said. “She was a magical person.”

The two comedians lost touch when Wise moved to Los Angeles, but they reconnected years later when Wise returned to the area.

By then, Scotti had transitioned from male to female 20 years prior.

“I hadn’t seen her in years and years and years and then all of a sudden it was like old times,” Scotti said. “We kind of feel like outcasts in the world but amongst our peers it’s like family.”

That sense of family translated into regular writing workshops hosted at Wise’s home, where Scotti, Lyons, and other comedians gathered to hone their craft.

“The comic gets a word and for three minutes he or she has to rip on that. We each took our turn,” Scotti said of the writing sessions. “If we had new material the comic would introduce the material, we’d all work to improve it. It was a very cooperative collaboration among some really good friends.”

Scotti has her own colorful history with the local area, once making the television news on her 62nd birthday when she was driven through New Hope in a one-car parade that blared John Philip Sousa music while she waved and honked at passersby.

Scotti admitted that Wise’s passing “left a hole in my heart,” she noted that the Aug. 1 show is meant to be a celebration rather than a somber affair.

“I’m going to have a lot of fun,” Scotti said.