"Whose Line is It, Anyway?" -- an "Improv"able Laughfest

It's an amazingly-simple setup: Four people, sitting in chairs on a stage. One man sitting behind a desk, moderating. He calls for one or more of the foursome to create a given skit without cue cards, prompters or script. Their goal is to make people laugh. A pianist, guitarist and saxophonist stand by for accompaniment as needed.

This "simple" format is the basis for the ABC Family Channel's hit series, Whose Line Is It, Anyway? Hosted by TV star and standup comedian Drew Carey, the show (in syndication, having left network air in 2002) is one of the brightest and most wildly-popular programs on television. With improvisational laugh masters Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles and Wayne Brady as anchors and semi-regulars Greg Proops, Jeff Davis, Kathy Greenwood, Chip Easten and Brad Sherwood warming the fourth seat on a revolving basis, it offers a fast-paced mix of games, scenes and music, all of which are ad-libbed on the spot.

In this show "where everything's made up and the points don't matter", they act out skits like "Party Quirks," "Let's Make A Date", "Three-Headed Broadway Star" and "Hollywood Producer" with side-splitting results. In the unlikely event that one of them is at a loss for lines, the others quickly create a friendly verbal bridge that he (or she) can pick up on and continue. They act as a true team, and honestly enjoy each other as well as their work on the show.

Among the "games" (which, as reminded by Carey, can be played at home or parties) are "Questions Only," in which all four must act out an audience-chosen scene but can only use questions to carry on conversation. The same format is used in a game with a different approach, "Song Titles". But, in this variation, they can only speak in song titles. In "Scenes from a Hat", the audience writes down ideas for different scenes they want the team to perform. Drew then chooses the best of these, puts them in an inverted "Uncle Sam" hat and pulls them out at random. The performers then move center-stage to act out the scene in one or two hilarious lines.

One of the favorite segments highlights Wayne Brady's musical prowess. Called "Greatest Hits," it has Ryan and Colin acting as TV pitchmen, selling a compilation-album of songs based on a subject chosen by the studio audience. Then, when they pitch a (fictitious and funny-titled) song as being sung by a famous entertainer, Wayne and either Chip, Brad or Jeff will perform it as that particular singer or group. The "games" and "skits" vary from show to show, dependent upon whoever fills the troupe's fourth chair that week. If he (or she) is more adept at a specific game than one of their counterpart semi-regulars, then it's included.

The show is based on a popular British television series (in which Mochrie participated) but, to all who've seen both, is livelier, wittier and more innovative than the original. In many of the segments even the flaws are left intact, giving viewers the impression that they're seeing it "live": In one episode, Drew really chokes on his ever-present Altoids. He bends below the deskline to cough it up; in another, Ryan over-shoots a crawl and hits the front of Carey's desk with such impact as to break part of it (he was only a bit stunned, fortunately); after a "...Hat" segment, Drew pitches the hat out, in Frisbee fashion, to the audience but hits a cameraman by mistake.

Another enjoyable part of the series is that you never know who's actually going to appear as a guest. From David Hasselhoff, Hugh Hefner and Richard Simmons to Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg and the legendary Sid Caesar, the walk-ons and guest comedians make the show even more exciting and unpredictable.

Over the past television season, the networks tried to duplicate the success of "Whose Line ...?" by introducing "Thank God You're Here" (a line borrowed from the WLIIA? skit, "Superheroes"). In it, guest stars would be dressed in an outfit befitting a specific skit then, upon opening a "door to the stage," have to improvise their way through an improvised, but set, scene. Unlike Carey & crew, these stars were largely ill-prepared for an ad-lib situation, thus drawing few laughs. The series failed to be picked up for another season.

We learn a lot from true improvisational comedy, but nothing more important than that, in this world, we can "ad-lib" our way through almost any situation for which we're not prepared. All it takes is exactly what the performers on WLIIA? had, and still have as they continue their careers: awareness, liveliness and an "I can DO this" attitude.

And a good sense of humor.