Greg Proops is a comedian and actor known best to Australian audiences as a regular on the long running Whose Line Is It Anyway?It was exactly this claim to fame that lured me to his show. He has graced my TV screen for the better part of the last fifteen or so years. Being a regular on both the UK and US versions of Whose Line, he’s very adept at (as co-star Wayne Brady might say) ‘Making Sh** Up”.
Despite my familiarity with Greg Proops as a theatre sports aficionado, I had limited contact with his stand up material. I had seen the occasional five or seven-minute spot from Montréal on The Comedy Channel, but that was about it.
Greg Proops is a very sharp witted and intelligent comedian. His material ranged from the current state of pop music to the political machinations of George Bush. He moves almost effortlessly through his material, via smooth segues, cutting a swathe of finely honed observations of his home country, America.
The first fourty five minutes or so felt like a loosely improvised ‘trying out’ of new material. He appeared in his trademark sharp suit and horn rimmed glasses, jotting down every zinger that landed with the audience. For the most part, the jokes landed well, finding (at the least) a portion of the audience that lapped up his musings.
It’s fair to say that not all the audience was with him all the time, but pockets of the audience got on board with him, in fact he himself said “I don’t need the attention all at once, I can work through you in sectors”.
Greg Proops is a fine comedian, blending the best parts of public speaking and comedy into a show that lends new truth to the saying ‘while the mouth is open for laughter, you can shove in some food for thought.’
2011 Sydney Comedy Festival
Greg Proops
Venue: Enmore Theatre | 118-132 Enmore Road Newtown NSW
Date/Time: 16 Apr 2011 7pm
Tickets: $39.90
Bookings: 02 9550 3666
