Wayne Brady keeps it clean with Charmin
Wayne Brady keeps it clean with Charmin
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Best known for his improv prowess on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Wayne Brady has created a career performing off the top of his head.
He opened up to Parade.com while he was promoting the Keep It Clean Comedy Show with Charmin. While he’s not necessarily known for his clean comedy, he does think that it’s a good place for budding comedians to start.
“That’s the first step,” Brady said, “If you can make someone laugh [without cursing], then later on when you’re older, then you’re primed to be smart enough and witty enough to use your mind and you can make an off-color joke. You can use colorful language that way, but you’ve already taken the first step of just being funny and smart.”
The 43-year-old performer has certainly mastered the art of clean and adult comedy. Find out about his upcoming gig in Kinky Boots on Broadway, what he wants to do next, and why he believes Whose Line is still relevant.
People love Whose Line. What do you credit for its staying power?
“People love the magic trick of improv and we were able to do it successfully the first time around and now this second time. It’s just a good show. Even if I wasn’t in it, I would say it’s just a good show. You have a show where everyone on the show relies on their talent. It’s not reality nonsense and there’s no villain and the whole family can watch it. It’s the perfect example for me of that thing that I was saying — if you keep something that’s family-friendly, there’s plenty of jokes that are very adult and may go over the kids’ heads, but I think that if you have a show that the kids can like, mom can like, dad can like, grandpa can like, there’s something for everyone.”
Off air, which member of the Whose Line cast makes you laugh the most?
“I think they all make me laugh in the same way, but they’re not really trying. For the most part when you’re dealing with people like [us], onstage is where you let it all out. Off camera, everyone is pretty normal and in fact, I would say incredibly quiet and everyone just lets their work speak for themselves.”
Of all the different improv setups on Whose Line, do you have a favorite?
“I think I really love doing scenes from a hat. That’s the ultimate brain fry and I love pulling that stuff out. And I love watching the other guys do it. They make me laugh with whatever comes out of their brains.”
In November, you head to Broadway for a starring role in Kinky Boots. How did that opportunity come about?
“They called and asked if I would do it and I jumped at the chance. I’ve wanted to be back on Broadway for years, my last time was [playing] Billy Flynn in Chicago and to be able to step into the shoes that Billy Porter is wearing right now, that to me is the role of a lifetime. Billy has done an amazing job with bringing Lola to life. The script is awesome, the music is awesome. Just the chance to be that guy really made my day.”
You’ve had a pretty amazing career. Is there anything you haven’t been able to do that you want to do?
“Well, of course there’s always new stuff. I’d love to do more films, more sitcoms, I’d love to originate a role on Broadway. But there’s always time for that. I’m just at the beginning of my 40s and I’ve got a long time to try and check off those things.”
It’s hard to imagine you doing anything but performing, but if you didn’t have this career, what would you be doing instead?
“I always wanted to act. There was nothing else I thought I would do. At one point I thought I might have to go into the military, to follow in my father’s footsteps. But there was nothing else that I wanted to do.”
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