Burnaby actor finds his way in Lost Girls of Neverland

Michael Kovac plays Shadow, den father to the dancers at the Neverland burlesque club in Lost Girls of Neverland.

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Michael Kovac hung up his football pads for the theatre in high school when he realized there would be more girls in a backstage dressing room than in one beneath the bleachers. 

Twelve years later, the Burnaby actor is living the dream of every 15 year-old male as the den father at Neverland, a New Orleans' burlesque club that is the setting for Concrete Vertigo Productions' new "sensual musical revue" Lost Girls of Neverland.

The bawdy comedy, being presented at the Anza Club in Vancouver Feb. 16-March 3, is a saucy contemporary take on Peter Pan. With sequins, pasties and pop music. Mistress Pan and Madame Hook are rival club owners battling over the hottest new dancer in town, Wendy Darling.

It's Kovac's role as Shadow to wrangle the dancers, ensure they're in costume and get them to stage in time for their performances. He's also the MC for the Neverland club, as well as the play itself. And he's occasionally enlisted by his boss, Mistress Pan, to place a voodoo hex on her competitor.

"He's a big character, over the top," says Kovac of his alter-ego. "He's kind of a combination of Beetlejuice and the MC from Cabaret. He's got a dark side but he tries to embrace everybody."

It's the kind of role that straddles the gigs he normally gets, says Kovac. His theatrical roles tend to be good guys while he's often cast as bad guys for film and TV.

"Anytime something is being robbed, I usually audition for it," says Kovac, who admits being a part of a cast of only five men amidst a dozen beautiful women isn't a tough way to make a living.

And the production takes full advantage of the latter with sexy costumes, lavish lighting and the enticement of "partial nudity and sexuality" on its posters.

"It's a great atmosphere, anything can go," says Kovac. "It's very mysterious, sexy."

It's not the first time he's had to walk on the stage's wild side; in 2009 he was part of a theatrical adaptation of the 1950s propaganda exploitation film Reefer Madness that included an orgy scene.

Some of the members of the cast from that production have reunited for this one, easing any awkwardness or discomfort.

"Everyone is open-minded and professional," says Kovac. "If you're not having a good time, why are you doing it."

Lost Girls of Neverland previews on Feb. 16, then begins its regular run on Feb. 17 at The Anza Club, 1 W. 8th Ave. in Vancouver. For specific dates, showtimes and tickets, go to www.brownpapertickets.com