Darrin Rose

It’s a wonder comedian Darrin Rose has time to stand still and deliver his brand of comedy to the audience.

His list of projects seems daunting, but Rose seems to take it all in stride, from live performances to his television work, as well as work as a writer on sit-coms.

He’s currently a regular on the Dr. D series which airs on CBC, and he was a regular on other comedies like The Classroom, Love Court and The Jon Dore Show.

But it’s still his stand-up work that continues to bring him satisfaction, and he continues to make appearances at many clubs.
“I’ve been doing the comedy gig for 10 years, the TV stuff has come up recently,” Rose explained. “I like it on stage. I get up at noon, only have to work for an hour or so, and there’s no heavy lifting. It’s perfect for me.”

His latest tour, called Chasing Manhood, takes Rose from Halifax to Vancouver, with numerous stops between, including Kelowna on April 21.

“This is going to be fun for me because it’s definitely different being the main attraction for the evening,” Rose said. “It’s different being in a theatre, the soft-seats, as compared to doing a show in a club.

“In a club, the audience has to take whoever is on the list for the night,” he noted. “But in a theatre, people are seeking you out. They know who is up there, and it feels good to think that people are paying to listen to me ramble.”

Rose describes himself as a storyteller along the lines of Jerry Seinfeld, who “can lay out a piece of myself and connect with people.”

“I think it’s all about my desperate need for attention,’ Rose quipped. “I tell people things, and it ends up being therapeutic for me–it’s cheaper than having a shrink.”

By way of explanation, Rose said the name of his first cross-country tour is a reflection of how he “never measured up” as a rough and tumble kind of guy, “a man’s man.”

“I was a nerdy kid, I didn’t fit in with my brother and dad,” he said. “My brother still won’t let me touch any tools-especially any tool that plugs in. So my comedy is about my life, as a misfit.

“I talk about my challenges growing up as a skinny comic book collector being raised by a burly dad and brother.”

But as a stand-up comedian and TV personality, Rose has found a comfortable niche.

“I do prefer stand-up, but TV is really a lot of fun and it’s easy to do,” he said. “The role in Mr. D just suits me; it fits really well with my personality. It’s different from stand-up because on the set there are a lot of ‘chefs’ in the kitchen. It’s a wonderful work environment, while comedy it’s just about me and the audience.”

Rose added that although comedy may appear ‘easy’, it takes time and perseverance.

His material has received accolades for being ultra-polished, edgy, witty and sometimes a little on the naughty side.
“There’s a lot of re-writing that goes on behind the scenes,” Rose said. “It might take six months to put a good show together. I can tell it 60 or 70 times before it really seems to work like I imagined it.

“Then, there’s the times that you try it on at a comedy club and there’s no reaction. That’s when you go ‘oh-oh, that didn’t work’, and you twist it around to make it better,” he said.

Rose has been a regular comic on a variety of shows, including stints on the Comedy Network, MTV Canada, NBC and Slice.
He was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award for best male stand-up, received a nomination for screenwriting for The Latest Buzz, and was a finalist for the Comedy Network’s Make with the Funny.

QUICKFACTS
What: Comedian Darrin Rose in his first cross-country tour, Chasing Manhood.
When: Saturday, April 21 at 8 p.m.
Where: The Mary Irwin Theatre in the Rotary Centre for the Arts.
Tickets: Available at the RCA box office, 250-717-5304 or at rotarycentreforthearts.com, $29 each.