Caroline Rhea at Harbison Theatre

While she is known worldwide for her role as the spell-casting Aunt Hilda on “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,” as theinaugural host of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” and for her own daytime talk show, Caroline Rhea is no stranger to the standup stage. “50 Shades of Grey is the worst book I’ve ever read,” she quips. Pausing as the crowd laughs in solidarity, she adds slyly, “seven times.” Armed with an arsenal of zingers and real-life anecdotes, Rhea performs at Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College – for one night only – on Friday, October 2, 2015, at 7:30 p.m.

“When I laugh at Caroline Rhea, I feel like I’m laughing at myself – and don’t we all need to do a bit more of that?” notes Katie Fox, Executive Director at Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College. “She’s that friend you’d invite along on a road trip,” says Fox, “full of embarrassing stories and clever observations that get you through three states of cornfields before you know it.” 

Rhea can skewer anything from raising a toddler to middle aged dating to being a celebrity with barely a wiggle of her nose. The seasoned comedian and successful actress performed for years at comedy meccas like Caroline’s Comedy Club and on television shows such as MTV’s “Half-Hour Comedy Hour,” “Comic Strip Live” and on Comedy Central’s “Caroline’s Comedy Hour.” 

After growing her following on “Sabrina” and hosting two seasons of “The Biggest Loser,” Rhea was handpicked by Rosie O’Donnell to host “The Caroline Rhea Show,” interviewing stars from Daniel Radcliffe to Donny Osmond in the mid-2000s. Rhea is for the most part a very happy person. “On my wish list, there are very few things that I haven’t done yet,’ notes Rhea in a Huffington Post interview. “I have a beautiful child, I got to be on ‘Sesame Street’ as a person, I got to be on a kids’ show, and I got to be called a witch in every country in the world.” 

Age, however, is providing the comedian with plenty of material. “I’m starting to feel like Mrs. Howell from ‘Gilligan’s Island,’” jokes Rhea. “In Scotland, a guy came up to me and said, ‘I grew up watching you.’ And he was bald.” She laughs, “We’ve gone through a whole hair follicle cycle since the show was on.”

In addition to lending her voiceover talent to Disney Channel’s popular cartoon “Phineas and Ferb,” Rhea has starred alongside Jeremy Piven on NBC television series “Pride & Joy;” next to Tim Allen in Christmas with the Kranks; on Disney’s “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody;” in Bravo’s three-part special series “Funny Ladies” along with Joan Rivers and Paula Poundstone; on Whoopi Goldberg’s “Hollywood Squares;” and in several Lifetime and Disney movies. 

Audiences will hear, first-hand, the stories behind the talking cat on her alma mater TV show; bizarre encounters with guests on her talk show; fun secrets behind her voice-overs in “Phineas and Ferb” and more. She covers the less glamorous moments of raising her young daughter and the obstacles of single parenting; blind dating after 30; her parents’ technological challenges; and how she handles catcallers on the streets as a Canadian living in New York City.

Rhea’s role model is Carol Burnett, and she has been known to go to SoulCycle spin classes – to relax. She is active on Twitter as @CarolineRhea, posting such gems as this: “#IHateWeddingsBecause when you get a wedding invitation, it’s essentially like getting a bill in the mail.” 

Caroline Rhea’s one-night-only standup comedy show is recommended for teens and older and will be performed live at Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College, Friday, October 2, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. For more information and tickets, visit http://www.harbisontheatre.org/tickets-productions/caroline-rhea.