“Hi, this is Colin Mochrie.”
As a fan, I never anticipated that one day Colin Mochrie would be calling my house. When I said as much in my reply, he said, “Well, dreams do come true.”
It’s that dry, quick wit that has made Mochrie a fan favorite in the world of improv for the last few decades. Mochrie is best known for his work on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” alongside Brad Sherwood, and enthusiasts of the popular TV series will have the chance to watch the magic happen live on stage.
The improv veterans will be visiting the Wharton Center on April 7, 2018 with The Scared Scriptless Tour, a completely improvised show based on audience suggestions and participation.
I spoke with Mochrie about the Scared Scriptless show, his recent foray into the world of Shakespeare, and the funniest person he knows.
Stefanie Pohl: When you first started with improv, did it click right away that this is something you would want to be doing decades later?
Colin Mochrie: Yes, in a way. From the first time I did it I thought, “this is great, this is what I want to do.” But I never thought it was going to be my career. It was still a fairly new art form. If it wasn’t for the success of “Whose Line,” I don’t think I’d be able to do this. I’ve been incredibly lucky that the show allowed me to run around with Brad or whoever and do something I love doing.
SP: Did you perform a lot as a kid?
CM: I was a very quiet, studious boy. I read a lot, and I was very quiet. In grade 11, a friend dared me to try out for the school play. I got it, and I got my first laugh. That was pretty much the end of everything else.
SP: What was your laugh? Do you remember your line?
CM: I didn’t say anything. I just walked on, so I figured hey, I have a leg up on other people.
SP: Most people know and love you from “Whose Line.” Who would you say was the most memorable guest?
CM: I would have to say Richard Simmons. Robin Williams was incredible. When Sid Caesar was on, that was something special. He was someone I really admired as a child.
CM: There are so many. I would have loved to play with Steve Carell, or Kristen Wiig. There are so many funny people out there that I admire that I would have loved to goof around with.
SP: Do people come up to you and quote lines from “Whose Line” to you? My friend and I still say “I’ll get a harpoon, la la la la” from the Song Titles game. Or do you forget that you’ve even said some of these lines?
CM: Luckily, people tend to use the same ones. But it does take a while when someone comes up to you and says, “nice pants.” What? It’s that thing of are they just quoting something, or are they being odd?
CM: It was great. I was with a group of the best Shakespearean actors in Canada. As much fun as it was performing, it was also getting this sort of front seat to all of this brilliance. I never improvised during Lear, because the actors really frown upon going off script. But my improv skills helped most in rehearsal, when you’re trying to find things for your character. It opened me up to things I could do. The director was great and very open in letting me try stuff.
SP: What is scarier: remembering lines, or having to make something up on the spot?
CM: I would say remembering lines. I’m pretty good, but when you’re making up lines, no one can tell that you’ve screwed up. It’s very easy in a Shakespeare play to tell when someone has forgotten a line. If you’re doing a regular play and you forget a line, you can sort of improvise your way out of it. It’s very hard to improvise in Shakespearean verse.
CM: We’ve known each other for almost 30 years. We’ve gone on vacation together with our wives who adore each other and love us slightly. We have a good friendship that way, especially on tour. We sort of complement what the other person does for the tour. We never get to hang out because he lives in Vegas and I live in Toronto, so I see him when we work. I’m using the word “work” in quotation marks. I did the quotation marks motion and I realized Stefanie can’t see me right now.
SP: If only we were FaceTiming! One of my favorite stories about my husband’s step dad is when he was at an improv show and the prompt was for a blue-collar job. He said scuba diver. What has been one of the most outrageous suggestions you’ve received from the audience?
CM: The best and worst thing about improv is that once it’s over, it’s gone from your mind. You’re in survival mode when you’re doing it. There are times when I’m flipping the channel and I see a “Whose Line” on, and I don’t remember doing that scene at all. There’s only one suggestion that I remember; when we asked for an occupation, someone said “lactation expert.” I thought that’s great! That is something we’ve never gotten before, and it gives us something to work with. Much of the work that Brad and I do in our show is coming up with a way to ask for suggestions so that we don’t get the same things over and over again. People always want to shout “gynecologist” or “proctologist,” and we’re trying to find ways to get the audience to think outside the box a little.
SP: You just touched upon this, but are there times when you think back on a show and wish you had said something different or that the scene went in a different direction?
CM: In some ways, it’s horrible when I see “Whose Line,” because I go “oh look, I missed that point there.” I never do that on the stage show, because once we’re done, we’re done. It’s such an odd art form, because you can train for it a little bit, but it’s not until you’re actually in front of an audience succeeding and failing that you find out exactly what you can do. Now I’ve been doing it for close to 40 years, and I love the fact that there’s never a night where I go out and think to myself, “everything is going to be perfect. I know exactly what I’m doing.” You have certain control over the show, but there are so many other variables that make the show work. It’s always exciting.
SP: What are the differences between performing in front of a studio audience versus being on the road? Do you find you get suggestions based on where you are regionally?
CM: Yes! For us, there’s nothing better than when we get a local reference that we have no idea what it is. We get to make up anything. On the TV show, every scene has to be around three and a half minutes. On stage, we can take our time with the scene. Most of our scenes go 10, 15, 20 minutes. So it gives us a chance to really take it easy and explore the characters. I find it more enjoyable.
SP: What have been your experiences in Michigan?
CM: We have been to many places in Michigan. In fact, we got trapped one weekend. When we flew in, the minute we landed they said there was a storm coming so there would be no planes leaving for four days. It was bad for us because we had a show the next night. A guy volunteered to drive us in a blinding snowstorm four hours to Green Bay. It was pretty exciting.
SP: Associating Michigan with snow is very apropos.
CM: The interesting thing is when we were there, there was an ice sculpture contest. It was a university town, and there were amazing sculptures. There was a life-size Stay Puft Marshmallow Man going through New York buildings. It was insane.
SP: Thanks, that was mine!
CM: Oh, it was very good.
SP: What can fans expect from this particular show at the Wharton Center?
CM: We like to say it’s a sort of live version of “Whose Line” without the tall guy and the black guy. A lot of the games will be familiar to fans. There are some games we’ve had to adapt because it is just the two of us. It’s even more interactive than the TV show. We have audience members on stage for about 80% of the show. Every game starts with suggestions from the audience. It really is a fully interactive night.
SP: I have some rapid-fire questions for you. What’s your favorite improv game?
CM: It would be Greatest Hits.
SP: What do you need with you on the road?
CM: A book. Because I’m on the road a lot, I like things that are fairly easy to read. I sound like a 10-year-old kid.
SP: Where is the best coffee?
CM: There’s a place in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania right across from the hotel. And of course, I can’t remember the name. But it’s very good.
SP: Who’s your favorite comedian?
CM: My wife Deb is incredibly funny. I’ve always been a big fan of the Monty Python guys, Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters. My all-time favorite is John Cleese. I think I stole some of his stuff when I was younger.
SP: Do you have a hidden talent?
CM: No. Everything I have, you see. I have no musical talent. If this improv thing hadn’t worked out, I’d be so screwed. I have nothing to fall back on.
SP: What’s your favorite city in the world?
CM: Venice.
SP: Something that you have to do before every show.
CM: Pee.
SP: Who is the funniest person you know?
CM: My wife Deb. She is the funniest person.
SP: What would be your last meal on Earth?
CM: It would be a lot of courses. A turkey dinner.
SP: What is never not funny?
CM: Farts.
SP: Yes!
CM: You seem to know that answer was coming.
SP: I have a five-year-old and it’s all about farts.
CM: They’re always amusing.
SP: Finally, what would you say if I said, “Go Green”?
CM: Uh, “stop red”?
SP: I will teach you. Wharton Center is on the campus of Michigan State. If someone says “Go Green” to you, or if the audience says it, say “Go White” and you’ll blow their minds.
CM: Oh good, I love it. I love being able to blow people’s minds.
For mind-blowing and side-splitting fun, check out Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood in The Scared Scriptless Tour at Wharton Center on April 7, 2018. Click here for show and ticket information.