Joel Murray and his mates are well schooled in the tricky art of improvisational comedy.
Utilizing audience input, the comics create on-the-spot scenes that crackle with humor.
Prepared jokes are not in the hopper.
Murray and company are rolling out “Whose Live Anyway?” at 8 p.m. Saturday in The Venue at Hammond’s Horseshoe Casino.
Murray is the brother of noted actor/comedian Bill Murray.
On Saturday, Joel Murray will be joined by Ryan Stiles, Jeff Davis and Dave Pasquesi for a night of improv games and bits that mimic the hit ABC television series “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
There is only so much training that can be undertaken to build the special skill set that is needed to consistently create spur-of-the-moment humor in front of an audience.
“It’s not something you can necessarily learn; you have to have a bit of a knack at it,” Murray said in a phone interview this month. “So yeah, you either got it or you haven’t.
“These guys happen to be the best in the world,” Murray said of the troupe members he’s touring with in “Whose Live Anyway?”
Stiles — an original member of the TV cast — anchors the touring show, which lasts between 90 and 100 minutes, and includes wacky, ad-libbed songs.
The Drew Carey-hosted version of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” debuted on ABC in 1998 and ran for nine years as an ABC enterprise before moving to The CW network, with Stiles still onboard.
Stiles launched his comedy career as a teen, dishing his stand-up act at comedy clubs near his home in Vancouver, British Columbia.
He was well-trained in the art of onstage comedy, having performed with The Second City comedy ensemble in Canada, and following that up with a four-year stint in the Los Angeles Second City troupe.
“Ryan Stiles is absolutely amazing,” Murray said.
For his part, Murray has appeared in more than 250 sitcom episodes.
Murray’s work as a series regular included stints on the prime-time comedies “Dharma & Greg” and “Love & War.”
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Additionally, he logged roles on the smash CBS comedies “Mike and Molly” and “Two and a Half Men.” Murray also portrayed Freddy Rumsen on AMC’s acclaimed “Mad Men.”
While the prerecorded nature of TV series allows for do-overs, retakes and measured refinements in product, the figurative high-wire act that Murray and his comrades face onstage is ripe for the unexpected.
Murray said that when he first joined his traveling improv troupe about three years ago, he found it “quite daunting” to try to complement the skill level of his team members.
But Murray has eased into the rhythm of a show that heavily relies on the participation and interaction of ticket buyers.
“There’s maybe four opportunities where we bring people up from the audience to play along,’ said Murray, a native of Wilmette, Ill. “You don’t know what you’re bringing up out of the audience.”
Murray described the wild-card aspect of incorporating strangers into the act. “We’ve had situations where, you know, we’ve brought up the legally insane, and some people that can’t stop talking,” Murray laughed.
There also may be cases where people “don’t listen,” he noted.
“We don’t know what we’re gonna get,” summed up the 54-year-old Los Angeles resident.
Going with the flow is essential, and troupe member Jeff Davis is particularly adept at singing on-the-fly numbers that are rib-ticklers.
Dave Pasquesi — another of Murray’s onstage partners — “is one of the best improvisers in the world,” according to Murray.
Pasquesi and Murray spent time together in The Second City — a vaunted trainer and presenter of stage comics.
Murray said he shared The Second City main stage with standouts Chris Farley, Bonnie Hunt and Mike Myers.
Bob Kostanczuk is a freelance writer.
‘Whose Live Anyway?’
Where: The Venue at Horseshoe Casino, 777 Casino Center Drive, Hammond
When: 8 p.m. Sept. 17
Tickets: $25, $35, $45, $60; 21 and older only
Information: 219-473-7000, www.horseshoehammond.com