For most of the last 35 years, British and American TV audiences have been entertained by a set of lovable, creative goofballs through a series of improvisational acting games on Whose Line Is It Anyway?
When the show isn’t in production, some of those aforementioned goofballs head out on tour with a stage show—and Whose Live Anyway? is headed for the McCallum Theatre on Friday, Nov. 17, featuring Whose Line mainstay Ryan Stiles, frequent guest stars Greg Proops and Jeff B. Davis, and actor Joel Murray.
During a recent phone interview with Greg Proops, he explained how the stage show is similar to, yet different from, the television show.
“Well, it’s a lot more interactive,” Proops said. “We bring people out of the audience to do bits with us. We bring up people, and we sing to them, and we bring people up onstage for ‘Sound Effects’ and ‘Moving People’ (two frequently performed improv games). We also take suggestions from the audience. The TV show is a lot like watching us do improv through a pane of glass, whereas when you see us live, we’re all in your face—and you have to be ready to come up onstage and participate. There’s no sitting back, especially if you’re in the front. Sometimes people sit in the front, and they’re like, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t realize you’re going to talk to me’—so you better wear something you like.”
Proops has been involved with Whose Line since its run on British TV, and although he loves the screen format, he prefers the show’s stage format.
“I’ve been on the show for 30 years, and we’ve been doing it that way on TV since I joined in 1989, but this one’s more fun,” Proops said. “There’s no buzzer, no producer and all that, so we really have a little more freedom to do what we like. We really come out and hit the stage running, and we really try to get a standing ovation every night.”
Improvisational acting is a skill, and staying sharp while crafting scenes without any script requires a lot of work.
“We play a lot, so we’re in pretty good form,” Proops said. “We just got off the road after two weeks, and then we had a couple days off, and now we’re back on the road for a week, and then we have a day off, and then we’re back on the road for two weeks. We’re always working.”
And even when Whose Live is on a break, Proops keeps busy, performing standup comedy and recording his podcast, The Smartest Man in the World.
“I love being on the road, and when I’m not on the road with the guys, I go out on the road with my wife,” he said. “We go to England and play, and France and San Francisco and whatnot. After I finish with the guys, I’m going to go to San Francisco and do a week at the Punch Line for New Year’s, and then probably go to England and Paris and do the podcast. We try to stay busy.”
Proops has enjoyed a long and fruitful career since he decided to become an entertainer.
“I didn’t want to do anything else,” Proops said. “I don’t have any skills. I can’t type or anything, and I hate meetings. I worked in an office, and it’s horrible. It was do-or-die, kind of, and I got really lucky, and it’s allowed me to go around the world.”
Proops said he’s grateful that Whose Line is still going in 2023, even as the cast members age.
“Ryan (Stiles) and I have been on the road together for over 20 years, and the TV show has been on for 30-something years, and we have a new season coming out. We shot it before the strike. There’s nothing else I’d really rather do.”
Greg Proops
“I’m lucky enough that Ryan (Stiles) wants to tour,” Proops said. “Ryan and I have been on the road together for over 20 years, and the TV show has been on for 30-something years, and we have a new season coming out. We shot it before the strike. There’s nothing else I’d really rather do.”
Proops said he’s built deep relationships, both onstage and off, with his fellow Whose Line performers.
“It’s been everything to me,” Proops said. “I’ve known these guys for so long, and we’ve worked together for ages and ages. Joel has been in the group since 2012; he’s the new guy, so that’ll give you an idea of the kind of continuity we have. When one of us can’t do it, we have Drew Carey or Gary Anthony Williams or Dave Foley or Chip Esten sit in. We have an extended family, and we’ve known all of them for years, too, so it’s just been great. I could complain—but why?”
Proops has also had a rather successful career as a voice actor.
“I’m doing Nightmare Before Christmas (a movie in which Proops voices several characters) at the Hollywood Bowl during Halloween time,” he said. “That’s live with a full orchestra, Danny Elfman, Catherine O’Hara and the whole enchilada. It’s our 30th anniversary, and we’re doing it live again at the Hollywood Bowl. We do it every year at different venues; last year, we did London, Tokyo and New York. That’s an unbelievable thrill. As much as I love the (Whose Line) guys, I really love doing that show, because you get to sing with a whole orchestra. When the music starts playing, I almost burst into tears. It’s so loud and fabulous, and it’s a giant undertaking. There are hundreds of us on stage, so it’s great.”
I asked Proops if he could pick just one form of entertainment if he had to. The answer: “No.”
“I’ve been lucky. I was Bob the Builder for a long time, and then I’ve been on all the Star Wars stuff like Clone Wars, Resistance and all the video games,” said Proops. “I did that a million years ago for George Lucas. I don’t think I could pick one thing; I really like doing all of it. I have a podcast with my wife, and we also do a film club. We’re showing The Innocents on Halloween night here in Los Angeles; we show a movie every month here in L.A. I get up first and do a podcast, and then we share the picture. We show a lot of French movies, and classics like Sleuth and Cabaret and A Hard Day’s Night.”
For Proops, however, it all comes back to improv—and the skills it has helped him develop.
“Doing improv really helps me do everything,” Proops said. “It helps you do standup and podcasts and everything, because I’m not that worried about what’s going to happen. I have confidence in making a mistake and incorporating it in. Leonard Cohen said, ‘Forget your perfect world; cracks are where the light shines through,’ so I’m always looking for a mistake to make everything better. I have a new standup album that I recorded last year in San Francisco for New Year’s, and I improvised that mostly, too.
“I’m comfortable onstage. The stage is my safe place—and the world is where I feel nervous and scared. On the stage, I have control.”
Whose Live Anyway? will take place at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 17, at the McCallum Theatre, 73000 Fred Waring Drive, in Palm Desert. Tickets are $45 to $85. For tickets and more information, call 760-340-2787, or visit www.mccallumtheatre.com.
