Whether Chuck is cracking jokes with customers at The Water Street Bakery and Deli in Summerside or Albert is playing the fiddle standing on Chuck’s shoulders on the lawn of the Harbourfront Theatre, the comedic duo can quickly draw a crowd.

“We say hello to everyone because they might know someone we know. You know?” says Chuck, arching his now-famous eyebrow.

But all this clowning around isn’t just about getting noticed. It’s about maintaining the momentum for their new show at the Harbourfront Theatre.

“It takes a lot of work to have fun on stage and a lot of practice,” says Chuck minutes later, as he throws Albert into the air and counts the seconds before he falls into his arms.

When one onlooker expresses concern over Albert’s possible demise Chuck says, “Don’t worry, I always catch him.”

Their timing-filled life as one of the Island’s leading comedy pairings is like a buffoonery boot camp.

For every hour on the stage, there are hundreds of hours of rehearsal time.

“And we like to keep our act fresh by adding new things to it,” says Albert.

Besides working on physical comedy they have spent much of the past year working on additional material.

“We can’t do a show without some new comedy, so we have a new sound effects number to start off with,” says Chuck.

They have also picked up on the Acadian tradition of scat singing.

That’s taking a fiddle tune and using their mouth to make sounds to imitate the instrumentation.

“The fiddle is king, but if you don’t have a fiddler handy you can still tune the tune. We also have a new dance number,” says Albert, who is excited about adding this technique to their new show at the Harbourfront Theatre on Aug. 12 and 19.

Another development in their act is their work with Acadian folklorist Georges Arsenault.

“We took a lot of time this year to go through his collections and as a result we have come up with seven new musical numbers and some little anecdotes that will help to coagulate the show,” says Chuck.

The songs range from Ligouri, which originates from France, to the locally composed Dans la ville d’Egmont Bay.

The latter one has special significance for Albert, who is from the Egmont Bay area.

“It’s a funny little song that pokes fun at a new factory, something that there’s not a lot of anymore,” he says.

En Devirant le coin d’la rue is about what happens to a man after a night out on the town.

“And Ligouri, a popular song in the French quarters of the world, is about a man who falls out of a tree and goes through all sorts of different things. Whatever happens to him happens to his wife, so it’s true love,” says Chuck.

Besides performing in Summerside, their busy summer has also included performances in Montana, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick with an upcoming gig coming up in Souris on Aug. 15 during Célébration 2009.

And how will the evening unfold?

“We can’t guarantee much, but we guarantee you will see fiddling, you will see step-dancing and you will laugh, at least once, probably at something you didn’t think you’d laugh at like yourself. 

“And you’ll probably have a smile on your face at the end of the night.”

Sally Cole is a features writer with The Guardian. She welcomes comments from readers and may be reached at scole@theguardian.pe.ca or by phone at 629-6000, ext. 6054.