Male stripping is a field which can sow a lot of laughter according to Vancouver based improv comedian Roman Danylo. The movie the Full Monty as well as Chris Farley and Patrick Swayze’s beloved Saturday Night Live Chippendales dancers sketch have successfully drawn a quite a few laughs from the subject.
“On that spectrum, we’re closer to Chris Farley,” said Danylo, who along with Ken Lawson, Chris Casillan and Michael Tiegen bring the Comic Strippers to the Yates Theatre, Sept. 19.
“People who come to our show, come out laughing,” said the veteran of Calgary’s Loose Moose Theatre who also worked with the Vancouver Theatre Sports League, which counts Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie among it's alumni.
“ It’s like the Second City of Western Canada,” he said.
In the Comic Strippers, the four performers play a variety of short improv games, similar to the popular TV show Whose Line is It Anyway, as their characters of male strippers.
“There’s lots of ridiculous dancing, stripper themed improv games, shower scenes and ping pong balls. In the shower scene, it's just us getting wet,” he said adding each show is different as it is powered by suggestions from the audience.
“ It’s a lot of fun. It’s a shirtless Whose Line is it Anyway with goofy dances,” he summarized.
The cast has vast improv experience. Danylo has been performing improv for 25 years and was on a CTV television show called Comedy Inc.
They developed the Comic Strippers two years ago and immediately took it on the road where they were an immediate hit in the United States and Australia when they premiered it at the Fringe festival in Adelaide, Australia where people really enjoyed it.
“ So we went with it,” he said.
“Last year it first exploded. It’s been pretty crazy,” he said.
They played 60 shows in the United States last year.
“ When we first started it, we weren’t 100 per cent sure people were going to like it, but it definitely surprised us,” he said.
“ It’s lots of fun for all genders though we only get 30 per cent guys and 70 per cent women,” he said.
“I was born and raised in Alberta so I’m excited to come back to Alberta,” he said.
The Comic Strippers visit the Yates Theatre, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m.
Tickets cost $44 each or $39 for groups of six or more.
