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Sure he's funny, has a mischievous smile that makes people giggle before he utters a word, and has never met a person he could not make laugh, but do not call Wayne Brady a comedian. Humor just 1 side
to Wayne BradyBy Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com"Comedy is what I've become known for, but I have a lot of other skills," says Brady, 30, who performs tonight at the Sheraton Waikiki.
When I ask why he likes comedy so much, the "performer" quickly corrects me.
"You do whatever you do to the best of your ability and what you enjoy the most," he said in a telephone interview from his San Fernando Valley home. "I do not consider myself a comedian. I'm an actor, I do improv, I'm a performer in theatrical arts, so it's its all lumped together and not just about making someone laugh.
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"I love being on stage performing for an audience and making people happy by entertaining them regardless of the format."Brady's improvisational skills, musical talents and hilarious characters have made him a standout star on the improv TV series "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" In September he'll star in "The Wayne Brady Show," airing on KGMB, a comedy/variety series that ABC debuted last season. Only a few shows aired.
Brady also blanches at stories about his "overnight success."
"It may have been quick for you, but not for me because I started performing at 16, so I've been doing this a long time.
"Quick is when you're a teen star and you started recording at 17 and by 18 you have a song on top of the charts and a platinum record. I don't like to be put in that category."
Brady, whose wife, Mandie, has relatives in Honolulu, grew up in Orlando, Fla., where he did plays and trained in improv with the Sak Theater Company. Eventually, he began performing in musical and dramatic theater in Las Vegas, on cruise ships and theme parks that taught him how to deal with audiences.
"I was the guy they would call when acts were running late, or to entertain audiences when the shows just flat-out stunk," he said.
Brady moved to Los Angeles in 1996, doing theater and landing guest spots on TV shows such as "I'll Fly Away," "Home Court" and "In the Heat of the Night." That led to hosting gigs on shows like VH1's "Vinyl Justice," KABC's "Countdown to the American Music Awards" and "Safe Night." In 1997, Brady was cast in the British version of "Whose Line is it Anyway?" and in 1998 he joined the American, Drew Carey-hosted version.
Where: Sheraton Waikiki Hotel Wayne Brady live
When: 7:30 p.m. today (only single tickets remain)
Tickets: $35 reserved
Call: 526-4400Brady claims he doesn't have a master plan in guiding his career, but he also knows when not to turn down an opportunity.
"When I moved to L.A. I thought I would be the next Denzel, and next thing I know I'm getting an audition for 'Quick Wits,' which got me the attention of people at VH1, which got me the attention of 'Whose Line,'" he says. "You make your own luck."
Brady turned down opportunities he believed might limit his skills.
"When I first started doing (the American) 'Whose Line' in 1998, I got offered a development deal. But I started to get a fan base because of 'Whose Line,' and people liked me not because of a character that I play, a wacky neighbor, but because they want Wayne.
He admits it was frightening to turn down the money offered him to do a sitcom.
"You have to make a choice," he said. "I took the long term over the short term. If you get a bunch of money one day but don't have a superior product, then that money will run out, and your reputation will be tarnished."
Brady believes comedy is a difficult art form, but improvisational comedy is even harder. It's not like standup, where the performer has rehearsed jokes.
"I started doing improv when I was 19 to help me with my stage work," he said. "I used to get angry when I'd blow my lines, so I wanted to take some improv classes so if anything ever happened onstage, I could B.S. my way through it ... and I fell in love with improv, the many facets of it and the way it lets you instantly create a character.
"The best I can hope for is that my innate view on things, humor and talent is good enough to touch the audience," he said.
The only way to succeed in improv is knowing you're probably going to fail, Brady says.
"Improv is an imperfect art, and by going on stage you're trying to make an imperfect art perfect," he said. "You have to attack it in a fully committed way."
Which brings Brady to his Hawaii performance, which includes a lot of singing.
"I open singing with my two dancers and I go right into a rap where the audience gives me all the words," he says. Then he'll venture into the crowd to create a song about an audience member. He'll also ask the audience to come up with made-up song titles, musical styles and celebrities they want to hear sing. It's a bit like what his TV show will be.
"I still had something to prove as an actor, so I figured the variety show was the best way to show off all my possible facets. I could sing, dance, do sketches, create characters and talk to the audience.
"I'm doing every single thing I can as long as I can because I want to be around until I just can't act anymore. I'm trying to plan a very meticulous route through this great maze of Hollywood so I won't end up next on 'E' in one of those 'Whatever Happened to' programs."
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