‘Whose Line is it Anyway’ duo coming to Cedar Rapids

It's not easy for improv performers who are used to working with an audience and feeding off a crowd to entertain in a virtual manner.

“It was bizarre creating comedy in total silence, but Brad is used to it,” Colin Mochrie cracked while calling from his Toronto home.

Mochrie was joking about his co-conspirator Brad Sherwood. The “Whose Line Is It Anyway” alums, who will perform Nov. 4 at the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids, delivered shows via Zoom during the pandemic.

“It actually worked out better than we thought it would,” Mochrie said. “I was in Toronto and Brad was in Las Vegas, but it looked like we were in the same room. The work kept us fresh and our comedy muscles toned. But we're thrilled to be back in front of an audience. It's obviously much better.”

In live shows, audience members shout out suggestions, and in an instant, the performers become anything from barnyard animals to aliens to bridges.

“It's great to connect with the audience again,” Mochrie said. “It makes a huge difference.”

But it took some time for them to get back into a groove.

“We were a little rusty when we started up in front of a crowd again,” Mochrie admitted. “When we would introduce games, we would look at each other, like ‘What do we say here?’ ”

However, the improv masters are no longer at a loss for words.

“We're comfortable doing what we're doing again,” Mochrie said.

That involves walking a different entertainment path.

“What we do is unusual,” Mochrie said. “You need to see it to fully understand it. To put this in perspective, one time before we came on (Brad) whispered to me, ‘When you go out, open your legs up so it'll look like I'm coming out of your butt.’ Where else can someone say, ‘Sure,’ and be fine with that and (have) it be completely normal?"

Mochrie and Sherwood have been touring as an extemporaneous duo for 18 years. Before hitting the road together, Mochrie, 63, and Sherwood, 56, worked on the ABC series “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” from 1998 to 2004, along with fellow comedians Wayne Brady, Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops and host Drew Carey.

The show was revived in 2013 on The CW with Mochrie, Stiles and Brady returning, and Aisha Taylor replacing Carey as host.

“I'm glad it was brought back,” Mochrie said. “It's a wonderful show. We haven't filmed anything since before the pandemic but since we have a treasure trove of material lying around, new shows are still coming out. The great thing is that everyone that has done ‘Whose Line’ still is very close. I was just talking with Wayne (Brady) last week.”

When Mochrie was asked to explain the key to improv he laughed.

“It's funny because I'm asked often how difficult it is to do improv, and it really isn't that difficult,” he said. “When you look at it, improv is what we should do in life. To successfully execute improv, you listen, you add on and support someone's ideas, and you have fun. But most people don't do that in real life. It's too bad that most people don't follow those rules.”

However, Mochrie and Sherwood do something most folks and entertainers can't imagine doing, which is walk the equivalent of a high wire without a net.

“Even though Brad and I have a very high success rate,” Mochrie said. “Something can go really awry. What's wonderful about improv is that you move on immediately after something flops, and you forget about it. The audience is behind you since they're part of the show.

“The bottom line is that they have a good time.”