It鈥檚 been said that in order to be a successful improv comedian, one has to be prepared to take a few risks and not mind looking a little bit silly while doing it.

That鈥檚 a recipe for hilarity that fits The Comic Strippers to a T.

To begin with, the premise is, in itself, very funny.

鈥淚t鈥檚 all pretty ridiculous,鈥� says Roman Danylo, the comedic genius behind the show.

鈥淚 was sitting in the tub one day and my wife was talking about watching a male-stripper show and it occurred to me, what if we did a parody of one of those shows?鈥�

What Danylo came up with works.

Try to imagine a male stripper troupe who've been at it for a bit too long and have decided to shift their careers to improv comedy. Given that improv is a pretty scary gig, they continue to bolster their confidence by appearing on stage in a semi-undressed state, despite the fact that the days of wowing the audience with Apollo-like bodies is, well, gone.

Still, the tight black pants and bow ties offer some confidence and, when the music starts, the boys just can鈥檛 help but fall back into old habits. They groove and gyrate between scenes and they sing and dance (sort of dance, anyway) as they continue to banter with the audience.

鈥淲e started the idea about 12 years ago and originally it was a two-person show,鈥� Danylo says. 鈥淲e took it to the Adelaide Fringe Festival (that鈥檚 the second largest Fringe in the world) and then started touring the show everywhere from California to Hawaii and beyond.鈥�

鈥淲hen we first brought the show to Canada we weren鈥檛 prepared for the volume of laughter and energy that we were getting. It鈥檚 fantastic.鈥�

The two-man show has now been rounded out by a few more talented comedians including Chris Casillan, Ken Lawson and Pearce Visser, none of whom, Danylo admits, would ever actually manage a career in the male-stripper business.

鈥淣one of us would ever pass for Chippendale dancers but it鈥檚 not for a lack of trying,鈥� Danylo says with a chuckle. 鈥淚 noticed that some of the crew will do some last-minute push-ups before taking to the stage.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e actually kind of old and it鈥檚 funny that this is the show we鈥檙e doing,鈥� Danylo says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really pretty ridiculous that at our age we鈥檙e doing the most physical show of our lives, but we love it, and I guess we鈥檒l keep going as long as our knees hold out.鈥濃��

That鈥檚 all part of the humour, of course, as is the dancing.

鈥淲e do a lot of silly dancing, but the choreography just never works out and it shows that we鈥檙e not professional dancers,鈥� Danylo says. 鈥淭hink of us as an untrained circus act.鈥�

But in case you think that The Comic Strippers is a ladies-only show, and not appropriate for a broader audience, have no fear. Thankfully, none of the troupe is actually going to strip.

鈥淲e want guys coming to our shows as well and there鈥檚 really no reason not to. We鈥檙e not real strippers and nothing about the show has a weird vibe for the guys,鈥� Danylo says.

Given that disclaimer, the show still targets adult audiences as, well, let鈥檚 face it, some of the humour is pretty risqu茅.

Finally, it would be a disservice to leave anyone with the impression that The Comic Strippers relies entirely on the stripper premise for laughs. There are funny guys, with or without shirts on, and their resum茅s include an impressive list of comedic and theatrical accomplishments.

The Comic Strippers appear at the in Duncan Oct. 4, in Port Alberni Oct. 5 and Victoria鈥檚  Nov. 2.

Tickets and more information can be found at  .