Canadian comedian and actor Gerry Dee makes a tour stop in Sudbury on Jan. 7 for a show at the Sudbury Arena.
The Scarborough, Ontario native is taking in what little downtime he has at the moment, ahead of his tour that kicks off on Dec. 27 in Kingston.
Gerry is a true Canadian's comedian, with much of his work deeply rooted in Canadian pop culture. The third place finisher on Last Comic Standing season five has had acting roles in Trailer Park Boys: The Movie, the CBC miniseries Canada Russia '72 and now stars in his own CBC sitcom Mr. D.
His stand-up resume includes performing at the famed Montreal Just for Laughs International Comedy Festival, and some of his more loosely scripted work in the earlier days of his career were segments on The Score as Gerry Dee: Sports Reporter.
His love for sports is something he has carried for some time, as he studied Kinesiology and Athletic Therapy at York University, and he also played university hockey.
The opportunity to play the Sudbury Arena, home of the Sudbury Wolves is something he's looking forward to on his tour stop in the Nickel City.
"I've actually played quite a few CHL arenas and it's always cool," said Gerry. "The tour is kicking off at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston which is where the Frontenacs play. I've also performed at Budweiser Gardens (London Knights), Scotiabank Centre (Halifax Mooseheads), and the Oshawa Generals' arena (Tribute Communities Centre)."
Gerry's tour will be making a lot of stops in junior hockey cities across the country including Windsor, Peterborough, Mississauga, Kelowna, Saskatoon, and more. He says that hockey is never far from his mind when he's out on the road, but it can be challenging to catch games.
"I try to get to the games when I'm in towns that have hockey teams but the schedule doesn't always work out," he said. "If I can't get to a game though, I do try to reach out to the teams, I've had coaches and players come to my shows in the past."
Season six of the comedian's sitcom, Mr. D, just wrapped up shooting and Gerry says he's not sure whether or not the show will be picked up for a seventh season, but in the meantime he's focused on his stand-up comedy and playing things as they go.
"I'm not sure what's going to happen, since we finished shooting I've just been writing for this tour mainly and it's on the road until late January," he said. "Things get a little quieter in February and March then I'm back on the road for April and May."
A trip to Northern Ontario in early-January can be a less than enticing prospect, but true to his ties to Canadiana, Gerry doesn't miss a beat when asked about his thoughts on visiting Sudbury during one of the coldest months of the year.
"Hey, that's how it goes sometimes, at least it'll be a Sudbury Saturday night," he laughed. "I'm sure the crowd will be into it and it'll be a great time."
Tickets for Gerry Dee's show are on sale now and can be purchased at www.gerrydee.com.
