I’ll be the first to admit I’m a Comic Strippers geek.
It started a couple of years back when they performed before a cabaret-seated audience at Coquitlam’s Evergreen Cultural Centre — a place the male-stripper parody troupe often calls their home.
The improv comedians gyrated around the floor tables and singled out the few guys who attended. In turn, we shouted out characters and lines from movies for their sketches and gave us a very fun night to remember.
I have followed them to gigs on Vancouver Island and watched them market themselves on social media: They post pictures of their travels and reply to their fans’ images.
Founder Roman Danlyo and his cast of fellow Vancouver TheatreSports League members say the show has expanded beyond their wildest dreams, with each season yielding about 30 dates across the country.
“To me, the show is a lot to do with our ages, being in our mid-40s,” Danylo said. “It’s not just like, ‘Can we do this? Can we produce our own shows in Canada and the U.S.?’ but also, ‘Can we physically do this?’ We push ourselves.”
Still, no pain no gain is how Danylo sees it.
When they performed in Australia three years ago, Danylo pulled some muscles — injuries that he’s still treating. And today, because the Strippers work up such a sweat on stage, he wears pads to protect his knees. The eldest Stripper, Ken Lawson, also has body battles.
Usually, though, for the aches and pains, “we’ll just work it into the show,” he laughed.
For their two Coquitlam gigs this weekend — in which Danylo promises new material — the Strippers will be returning from three nights in Ontario. Afterwards, they’ll be in northern B.C. before a June run through the Prairies.
Danylo, a Calgary native, said the Strippers are hoping to keep their Fort McMurray booking for January 2017. “We always had a special place in our hearts for Fort Mac… Our hearts are going out to those folks, for sure. It was the first place where we had a big sell-out show in a 600-seat theatre.
“We have our fingers crossed to be there next year.”
• Tickets for the Comic Strippers on May 20 and 21 are $35/$30/$15 via 604-927-6555 or evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
