>>PREVIEW
THE ULTIMATE COMEDY SHOW
Roman Danylo and Albert Howell
Runs February 9 to 11
Loose Moose Theatre
(Crossroads Market)
Abbott and Costello, Martin and Lewis, Wayne and Shuster – all are legendary comedy duos. Danylo and Howell may not yet be household names, but they’re another pair of guys who really know how to feed and react to each other to mine true comedy gold.
If you want proof, check out Roman Danylo and Albert Howell when these two stars of CTV’s Comedy Inc. return to their career launching pad, Calgary’s Loose Moose Theatre Company, for five performances. Billed as The Ultimate Comedy Show, their gig will feature solo comedy sets from each entertainer as well as a lot of tag-team improvisational material.
Danylo, the undeniable lead performer on Comedy Inc., has long seen the baritone-voiced, spectacle-wearing Howell as his go-to showbiz collaborator. Many years ago they worked together at Loose Moose and the now-defunct Jesters Comedy Club.
"Al and I have always been partners in a lot of different projects," says Danylo. "One of the first things I ever did on TV was a Comics episode for CBC. They allowed me to bring in a sketch performer and that was, of course, Al. When I used to go to Toronto to touch base with that city, I used to sleep on Al’s couch. We’ve developed a lot of material over the years just hanging out and now that we are working together on Comedy Inc., it’s great."
Howell is content to be primarily a behind-the-scenes writer on CTV’s hit sketch comedy series, although he usually performs in front of the cameras at least once in every show. To him, it’s the perfect setup.
"I don’t have to learn as many lines as Roman does and I get to do the sketches I really like," he says.
Howell writes a great deal of material for each episode and when he produces something he really enjoys, he’ll slot in a role for himself. It’s a great way to ensure that almost all of his appearances on the TV program are memorable ones.
According to Howell, anyone heading out for one of the five upcoming Loose Moose performances should be prepared to be far more than just a spectator. "I am sure we’re going to bring some audience people down at some point to help us out," he says. "That was our first love as we were first doing improv down at the Loose Moose. We’re doing a sort of full-circle thing by coming back here and doing it again."
Current Vancouver resident Danylo has turned his longstanding fondness for getting up close and personal with spectators into a hallmark of his live comedy career. During the upcoming Calgary shows, he promises to mingle with patrons in a big way.
"I will be crawling into the crowd and making some audience member the love of my life," he says.
"It’s very exciting when you step off the stage and go into the audience, so in my solo shows I have tried to figure out as many ways to do that as possible."
With crowd members never knowing when a performer may literally be in their lap, The Ultimate Comedy Show looks set to be a truly memorable ambush comedy spectacle. |
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