Battle of comics here includes former doc | News

Dr. Lynette Charity has gone from putting people to sleep in the operating room to tickling their funny bones while on stage.

Ahwatukee residents will have a chance to see the 71-year-old former anesthesiologist as she takes on a dozen other comedians at 7 p.m. next Tuesday, July 11, at Cactus Jack’s Bar & Grill, 4747 E. Elliot Road on the southwest corner of 48th Street. Tickets are $20 at tinyurl.com/HAHAFPVC.

Charity and the other comedians are vying for the title of “Funniest Comic in the Valley.” All 13 comedians survived weeks of elimination rounds at Cactus Jack’s in a competition that local comedian Anthony Solimini started several months ago to bring more laughter to Ahwatukee.

Until now, that goal has largely fallen on the shoulders of another Ahwatukee comedian, Anders Berg, who championed clean comedy at his shows when he wasn’t running his cleaning products business, Swede Clean.

Charity became a comedian late in life.

“Someone asked me, ‘How in the world do you go from that to that?” Charity said. “Honestly, I was feeling pretty depressed. When I turned 60, I’d been working as an anesthesiologist since I was 27.

“It…