Comedy class is in session
Gerry Dee: Family life fuels the humour of CBC’s Mr. D., who’s coming to Showplace
Gerry Dee is looking forward to updating audiences on what’s been going on in his life.
The comedian and actor best known as CBC’s Mr. D will bring his trademark humour about fatherhood, marriage and his years as a teacher to Showplace Performance Centre on April 6 as part of his 21-city nationwide winter and spring tour. Showtime is 7:30 p.m., and tickets range from $63.75 to $105.
These days, his three young children provide plenty of inspiration for his jokes, the Scarborough native said last Tuesday from south of the border.
“They are my life ... I tend to get a lot of material from them,” he said.
Dee said he is looking forward to returning to Showplace, which was one of the first venues he visited years ago, early in his standup career.
He was a private school teacher for nearly a decade before taking on comedy full-time and rising to fame with his own comedy special in The Comedy Network and performing at Montreal’s Just For Laughs International Comedy Festival.
He was the first Canadian in 27 years to win the San Francisco International Comedy Competition and placed third on the fifth season of NBC’s Last Comic Standing.
Dee’s projects have long been rooted in Canadian pop culture, such as his acting roles in Trailer Park Boys: The Movie and CBC miniseries Canada Russia ‘72. He said he is a proud Canadian who chose to build his career at home, instead moving stateside like so many others.
“I’m blessed in that respect. I love that I get to travel this country from coast to coast,” he said, calling Canadian audiences a “supportive group.”
Fans have always been very positive, whether they recall his time as Gerry Dee: Sports Reporter on former cable television channel, The Score, or more commonly, refer to him as Mr. D – which has now aired for six seasons.
“It’s great that the show has resonated with so many people,” Dee said, pointing out that he is waiting to see if the show will be renewed for season seven.
Asked if shooting Mr. D, which he created along with Michael Volpe – former producer for The Trailer Park Boys – has influenced his standup material, Dee said they are not really connected and for the most part, different animals.
His current tour was planned for the downtime between filming, so to speak. It was also planned so that he is not gone from his Toronto home for too long at a time – Dee says he drives to shows as often as he can so he is not missing out on family life.
Doing comedy shows boils down to his passion for making people laugh, Dee said. “It’s really just a night for people to get out ... and relate to what I’m talking about ... that’s what’s so special about standup, when it goes well.”
Following the Peterborough show, Dee will venture to cities throughout Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia.
For more information or for tickets, visit www.gerrydee.com .