North Texas Daily

Brad Sherwood, comedian and “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” star, took the stage on Saturday at Medical City Lewisville Grand Theater and performed an entirely improvised show.

Due to the nature of an improvised show, Sherwood said he did little preparation to get ready for this performance. The only preparation, he said, was finding the beats he would freestyle to at various points during the set.

“I didn’t do anything [to prepare],” Sherwood said. “I just looked at my song list and thought, ‘What would be a funny order to put these songs in?’ Then I sort of placed them in an order where there was some variety and, you know, one would be very slow and then a fast one and then a funny one from the 80s, and just did that. That’s the only preparation I do.”

In the show, Sherwood incorporated audience engagement into his comedy, often bringing people from the crowd on stage. In his showcase, he used a combination of games, jokes and feedback from the audience.

Sherwood’s Lewisville performance took a different approach from the show he starred in, “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” but was similar in the structure of the set.

“It’s totally different [from the show] in that it’s just me, so it’s a one person show, and I rely way more on the audience,” Sherwood said. “But it’s totally improv, and it’s improv games and songs, so in that way it’s a lot like the show.”

Members of the audience said they were entertained by his ability to be quick on his feet with his performance.

“It’s amazing to me [to see] how fast they can come up with answers to questions and stuff like that,” Lewisville resident and audience member Reggie Hare said.

Most of the people who came to his performance were fans of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” so they had prior knowledge of Sherwood to form their expectations around.

“I thought it was like the TV show, just him by himself,” Hare said. “I was concerned that he was going to be by himself and it wouldn’t be as good, but it exceeded my expectations.”

Audience members appreciated his ability to think quickly to keep the show moving.

“Brad, he was great,” Dallas resident and audience member Eileen Ray said. “I used to watch ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ and they’re so clever. I just don’t know how they think fast enough to do all that, but it was so funny.”

Sherwood said he especially appreciated the audience in Saturday’s show.

“My favorite part about tonight’s performance was the great crowd, and it was a lot of fun,” Sherwood said. “Although we had some technical difficulties, they enjoyed the show, and got up for a standing ovation, which you can only hope for that. When that happens then you’re doing something right. I liked doing the musical stuff, and [the audience was] laughing at that.”

Sherwood said his interest in comedy sparked during his childhood and has been growing ever since.

“I just always liked making people laugh,” Sherwood said. “I moved around a lot, so I had to make friends. I had to get them to like me, so that’s how I chose to get people to like me, because I was always the new kid on the block.”

Throughout his career in comedy, he has seen the content of jokes transform, but the key principles of comedy have stayed the same.

“Funny is funny, so what people laugh at may change, but that’s like anything,” Sherwood said. “What made people laugh in the 1940s versus what makes people laugh now is probably different and it’s more shocking now, but back in the 40s, the comics were saying stuff that was shocking for the 1940s. So it’s about comics being goofy and sort of staying on the edge of what makes people giggle and possibly makes them uncomfortable, and that’s where the laughter comes from.”

Sherwood said he enjoys performing live instead of on television because of the immediacy of it.

“The fun thing about improv is when you see it live,” Sherwood said. “You can watch improv on taped TV shows and it’s funny, but it’s one step removed, so when you see it live, it’s like you’re seeing how the magic is actually happening, absolutely in front of you, and there’s no way to cheat it.”

Featured Image: After his show, comedian Brad Sherwood responds to questions during an interview with the North Texas Daily on Jan. 25, 2020. Image by Ryan Cantrell