Roman Danylo sees no end in sight.
And that’s a good thing — at least for now.
Ever since the Vancouver actor’s wife dreamed up a concept where he and his improv buddies could parody a male stripping troupe, the show has not slowed down.
Last year and the year prior, the Comic Strippers clocked about 120 gigs across Canada, in California and Hawaii, among other places.
This year alone, they’re on track for 70 dates including two productions in Coquitlam next week. “I don’t know when it’s ending,” a baffled Danylo told The Tri-City News last Thursday. “I think it would be very hard to stop.”
The Evergreen Cultural Centre is where the boys call home.
It’s their testing ground before they head off for another season, the place where they’ve performed the most and are comfortable trying out new material, Danylo said.
For their show on May 19 and 20, Danylo said all six Strippers will be present: fellow Vancouver TheatreSports League regulars Ken Lawson, Pearce Visser, Coquitlam native Michael Teigen, Chris Casillan and David Milchard (of “Convos with my 2 year old” fame).
Danylo, who appeared for five seasons on Canada’s Comedy Inc. and was in Just For Laughs and the Aspen Comedy Festival, promises the Strippers will expand their act for the Coquitlam crowds with new improv games, musical numbers and “other physical weird bits.”
Afterward, they’re back on tour for the summer for four shows in Ontario followed by numerous sets in the Prairies and B.C.’s interior. Next year, the Strippers plan to revisit Australia.
Their production is a hit “because it’s sort of like the perfect thing to parody. It’s silly and high energy so the content of the show fits perfectly. People just get that it’s going to be a laugh party that you can share with your friends,” he said.
As for the physicality of their two-hour act, Danylo said their 40-plus-year-old bodies are taking a toll but they’re managing the grind.
“We’ll do this for as long as we can.”
• For tickets to The Comic Strippers on May 19 and 20 at 8 p.m., call the Evergreen box office at 604-927-6555 or visit evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
