With the eighth and final season of his popular TV show behind him, Gerry Dee is getting back to his comedic roots.
Before launching Mr. D, a CBC show in which Dee played a school teacher, he was a stand-up comedian. He even placed third on Season 5 of NBC's Last Comic Standing in 2007.
Dee will launch his 20 Years of Stand-Up tour March 1 at Casino Rama.
“We wanted to start off with a bang, and it’s a big, beautiful venue,” Dee told OrilliaMatters.
While Mr. D catered to all ages, his stand-up show is recommended for those 14 and older. Not everyone reads the fine print, though.
“That’s why you get some eight-year-olds coming in with their parents,” he said, “because they think I’m the guy from the show. He’s different.”
While stand-up was Dee’s first love, TV was always the goal.
“At one of the first meetings I had with Yuk Yuk’s, Mark Breslin asked what I wanted to do and I said, ‘Sitcom,’” Dee explained.
He had a good run with Mr. D, which earned Canadian Comedy Awards and Canadian Screen Awards.
While the focus now is on stand-up, that’s unlikely to be Dee’s only gig. He hopes to return to the small screen. Now he just has to figure out what’s next.
“I’m back to the drawing board. It’s exciting,” he said. “It takes me back 10, 12 years ago, when I was (planning) for Mr. D.”
It was Dee’s decision to end the show after its eighth season, which wrapped up in December.
“I just felt it was a good time to hang it up,” he said, noting some of the cast and crew were moving on to other projects.
“I’m going to miss my friends from the show,” he added.
Dee wanted his character to be relatable. That’s how he will approach his next TV project, whatever that might be.
“I want to do something that’s closer to home for me,” he said, suggesting a focus on family and sports.
Even with stand-up, the goal is to have material “people can relate to,” he said.
Audiences can find out for themselves, starting March 1 at Casino Rama. Subsequent dates will take Dee across the country.
For more information, or to order tickets, visit gerrydee.com.
