Wayne Brady's talent is so damn infuriating. Whether it's wheeling and dealing prizes and zonks on Let's Make a Deal, crooning love songs for the ladies, or supplying straight-up wit and comedic dialogue on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Brady's talent thrives on his ability to be unafraid and unscripted. And yeah, we're jealous.
Brady is bringing his A-game to the Brea Improv this weekend, so you better bring yours by coming equipped with ideas to shout belligerently at the stage. What you'll get is a custom show tailor-made for you based on the things you say. Sound like fun? Of course it does. While we're waiting for Friday, we wanted to find out where else we can get our Brady fix this year.
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OC Weekly (Ali Lerman): What is the douchiest costume someone has ever worn on Let's Make a Deal that you were like, 'What the . . . ?'
Wayne Brady: I really don't know because people come dressed as everything from superheroes to eggs and presidents to very “punny” costumes. And there are people who are dressed in horror stuff and girls dressed in sexy French maid outfits that will never make the air because they are showing off all of their sexy maid-ness. I know there are outfits I never see because when those people are being seated in the audience, if they have worn something that is inappropriate, instead of turning them away, they're still allowed to sit in the back, but I won't be picking them. So I don't really know the answer to your question because that costume may already be out there, but by virtue of the sheer definition of wearing a costume and being on TV, they're all silly in good fun.
That's funny that the skanks all go to the back. Now I'm sooo going to look for them.
Yeah, it's daytime TV, you know? There are just certain things you can't show, so you can't have a guy with his balls hanging out or anything. It's silly and fun right up to the time the censor runs out.
I read that they're bringing back “Whose Line Is It Anyway?,” and Aisha Tyler is stepping in for Drew Carey. Do you think adding ovaries will change the dynamic?
[Laughs.] I think it'll change the dynamic because Aisha is a different type of comedian and has a different perspective and wit. Instead of being a passive force on the panel, she is someone who has a strong and very funny energy, and she'll try to jump in and mix it up. But I don't think it's a bad or good thing, just different. Drew is one of my best friends, and I think he is amazing. I just think if you are going to do a reboot of something, you want it to be amazing, but it shouldn't feel exactly the same. So it'll be familiar enough because of the improv with me, Ryan Stiles and Colin Mochrie, but there will be a lot of new people. There'll be a little bit more variety, and I think it's going to make the fans of the show happy and bring aboard a new generation of improv fans.
I know you like to keep your hands in a lot of different pots. What else are you working on these days?
We'll be doing the next season of Let's Make a Deal coming up in June and, of course, Whose Line. I'm finishing up my second CD right now, and it's a little bit of old-school soul meets new-school R&B. I'm also producing a show with Howie Mandel for TBS that's a paranormal prank show, producing a sitcom for Fremantle and touring. So I'm just staying as busy as I can, so in 2013, you can get ready to laugh your ass off whether it's in daytime or in primetime because this is that year!
So what will your show be like in Brea, and more important, will there be singing?
I can't really tell you what the set is because it's all improv, so that's the beauty of it. I won't know until the show starts! We will definitely be doing improv music and letting the audience decide the titles and styles. The whole thing is completely off the top of the head. That's what is great about the evening: You guys come armed with suggestions, I'll come ready, and somewhere in the middle, we'll make a funny-ass evening!
Wayne Brady performs at the Brea Improv, 120 S. Brea Blvd., Brea, (714) 482-0700; www.improv.com. Fri.-Sun. For show times and ticket prices, visit the website. For more info on Brady, visit www.waynebrady.com and follow him on Twitter: @WayneBrady.
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Ali Lerman knows much about comedy, basketball, and celebrating Wu-Tang Wednesday. She’s been writing for sixteen years and still calls her mom with grammatical questions.