Peelers and howlers

Stand-up meets stripping at the Xtreme Cabaret

by CHRIS BARRY

A man of few, albeit choice, words, this week local comedian Kris Bonaparte will be bringing his Bad Boys of Comedy crew to that most traditional of comedy venues, the strip club. Describing his Xtreme Cabaret night as "a post-millennial burlesque evening," Bonaparte promises not only comedy on the edge but also peelers aplenty and, in the mistress-of-ceremonies position, Montreal's princess of prurience, Tangerine Dream.

Mirror: What are the Bad Boys of Comedy?

Kris Bonaparte: It's a loose affiliation. We're four or five guys that look out for each other. We've got Corey Edwards, Sugar Sammy, who is a very dirty Indian dude, and, uh, we've got Massimo and -

M: Massimo, isn't that the guy who designs cutting edge fashion for Zellers?

KB: (pause) No. But he's kind of fashionable - in a couch potato kind of way.

M: I think bringing comedy back into a burlesque environment is a nice touch. Is the idea to cash in on the neo-burlesque trend that's taken hold in L.A. and NYC?

KB: Um, the idea just kind of popped into my head. And it's been there for a while. I guess I just want to meet more strippers. I won't lie. I'm not knowing about this burlesque trend but I'm feeling it, so I'll take advantage of that. And also, you want to do something fresh, something different. This is a show you want to go to - unless you don't like naked women.

M: Or unless you want to see comedy that's actually funny. Ha, ha.

KB: (grunt)

M: What's so extreme about the Xtreme Cabaret, anyway?

KB: (long silence) Um.

M: I guess it's just Xtreme, huh?

KB: Yeah.

M: Did you choose that way-cool way of spelling "extreme" because it's so cliché it's almost funny?

KB: (pause) One, there won't be any dull moments at the show. Two, it's all edgy, it's all raw. If you have a short attention span, come to this comedy show. You're not going to get a lot of Jerry Seinfeld-esque "Did you ever notice" kind of shit. We're bringing it to you raw.

M: Okay, so who are your influences?

KB: Dennis Leary, George Carlin -

M: But those guys are fairly cerebral.

KB: Cerebral doesn't mean… (pause) Um, they are cerebral, but they're still coming at you with attitude, you know? I do a lot of bar shows for these low-level mobsters in RDP and St-Leonard, and in these little bars they tell me, "Yeah, you made me laugh, kid." But if these guys go to the comedy clubs downtown, they don't enjoy themselves. If you go into their environment, and you take away all the pretext of trying to outsmart people and trying to be witty or cute, and just give it to them direct, it's great. They love that.

M: So wit doesn't play very well out in RDP. But you're saying your show does.

KB: (pause) We're bringing the bar show downtown. Raw.

M: So what's your shtick then? Are you doing physical comedy?

KB: Physical? No. I don't dance or nothing.

M: So it's just Xtreme. No more, no less.

KB: Right, there you go.

At Club XXX (1830 Ste-Catherine W.) on Friday, April 30, 9pm, $7, free for ladies