In Celebration of Hicks, Hosers and Hockey Players
ETWEEN SEASONS OF THEIR SUCCESSFUL CANADIAN TV SHOW, THE CAST OF are heading out on tour, covering 38 cities in the U.S. and Canada. “Letterkenny Live!” promises a lot of what you see in the Crave series, with a few new skits and, of course, plenty of ass-kicking. Just don’t expect to see the show’s signature Wes Anderson-esque slow-motion fight scenes performed on stage (the stunt coordinator won’t be joining the crew on the road). No, the ass-kicking in “Letterkenny Live!” will remain firmly in the conceptual realm.
“In terms of content, there’s going to be pounds and pounds of ass-kicking,” says Nathan Dales, who plays Daryl.
“We appreciate everyone supporting our weird little Canadian show and we’re happy to keep this journey going,” adds Tyler Johnston, who plays Stewart and is joining the nine-member live tour cast for the first time.
A massive crew will pile into a tour bus for the two-month jaunt, a real rock-star upgrade from the typical life of a Canadian actor. It’ll be an odyssey of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, right? “None of those things,” Johnston replies. “Sleep, water and comedy,” laughs Dales. Throughout our conversation, the two refer to each other by their adorable pet names (Dalesy and Teej), mirroring the show’s loyal interpersonal relationships. This intimate quality extends to the neighbourly hicks on Letterkenny: Daryl, Katy (Michelle Mylett), Squirrely Dan (K. Trevor Wilson) and Wayne (showrunner Jared Keeso).
“I like their loyalty to each other,” says Dales,
B“and their kind of ‘take no bullshit’ attitude.” Having formed close bonds over eight seasons, mostly filmed in relatively isolated Sudbury, Ontario, the Letterkenny crew welcomed a newcomer in 2017 in the form of Canadian TV icon Jonathan Torrens ( Trailer Park Boys, Jonovision), who joined the show as a writer and actor. There are clear parallels between Letterkenny and the Dartmouth, NS-set Trailer Park Boys; having left J-Roc behind, Torrens has embraced his role as Noah Dyck, a Mennonite whose ignorance to double entendre is worth its weight in comedy gold.
“Not only is [he] perfect for our set because we love being professional and doing a really good job, but you want people there who are excited to be there. Everybody wants to step their game up because everybody is having fun,” says Dales.
“He’s one of those guys where you have a casual conversation with him four months ago and the next time you see him, he brings it up, ‘How your mom’s car muffler doing?’ or whatever,” says Johnston. “He remembers. You can really tell he’s paying attention.”
Though the show may be niche, its humour is universal. So the saying goes, “everyone knows someone from Letterkenny.” It’s true — whether they be a hick, Christian or hockey player. I bet you even know some basementdwelling skids.
“Look, the basement door is always unlocked,” laughs Johnston. “The door is wide open, right? And we’re looking for friends. [That’s a] pretty good band name: Looking for a Friend. The album title: The Basement Door Is Always Open.”