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performances

A long run for short-form improv

All the knee-slapping games and songs and missteps and punchlines from the hit improv comedy show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” are coming to the Warner Theatre in Torrington … kind of. See, some of the faces and themes might be the same as fans remember, but on Oct. 10, when the touring version of the show, “Whose Live Anyway,” takes the stage, everything will be made up on the spot.

For short-form improv, “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” sure has a long history. The hit television program premiered in the United Kingdom in the 1980s. Hosted by alternative comedian Clive Anderson, the show ran on England’s Channel 4 for 10 “series” or seasons.

In 1998, the show was adapted for American audiences by ABC. Drew Carey, riding high from the runaway success of his sitcom, “The Drew Carey Show,” on the same network, was tapped to host. The concept itself is quite simple: a group of quick-witted comedians are tasked with silly little games from which they improvise comedic responses. In practice, however, it is anything but simple.

The performers are not given the tasks ahead of time. Though they’ve played the games countless times, the specifics are always a surprise. Frequently, they’ll take suggestions from the audience, ensuring spontaneity and the humor that comes from writing comedy on the fly in front of a live audience.

For the performance at the Warner, Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, Jeff B. Davis and Joel Murray will serve as the improvisers. Stiles and Proops have been mainstays of the American version of the show since it first aired in 1998. Davis joined the program in 2001, and Murray has been a touring member since 2014. They’ll be joined by musical director and pianist Laura Hall and actor Gary Anthony Williams, known for his roles in “Malcolm in the Middle,” as the voice of Uncle Ruckus in “The Boondocks” and as Detective Williams in Macon Blair’s crime thriller, “I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore.”

For tickets and more information, visit warnertheatre.org

D.H. Callahan
performances

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