TV Tattler: Celebrity Interviews
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Obviously one of your most beloved guest appearances is the 'Chappelle's Show' spoof. Has it gotten old to have your lines from that skit quoted back to you all the time?
Well, it's always nice to be a part of the American lexicon, and to even be a part of something that's gone down in history at the Museum of TV and Film history. It is a favorite, and I'm glad that everyone loves it, and it was really funny. It was damn funny. But I've done more. Like, even today, I had someone say, "Let me ask you about the Chappelle thing," and I'm like, "What more do you want to know?" I did a sketch in a show, we had a great time, we were able to flip certain peoples' perceptions and at the end of the day [we] come up with a really well written sketch that I think is gonna be funny in 10 years even. So that's pretty much it.
What would be your ideal TV gig at this point? Would you want to go back to doing a regular show, like a sitcom?
Absolutely. And my aim is to, at some point, be able to be in an ensemble sitcom, and have a great time going to work and telling great stories and being funny.
And what about heading back to Broadway? Did your run with 'Chicago' leave you wanting to do that again?
That was a dream I started acting with. I'd done tons of musicals and done theater and been on stage, but I hadn't cracked Broadway until 'Chicago,' and my hope is still to go back to Broadway at some point. I've been offered the chance to take over various roles, but I just haven't been available. I'd really love to originate a role, too. I think it would be great to originate a wonderful drama or a really great musical, like to have been in the original cast of 'The Producers' or 'Spamalot.'
You also just completed a run with your improv/comedy/variety show 'Making It Up' at The Venetian in Las Vegas, but you're going to do the show again later this year?
Right. We start again on August 4th. It's a live improv, a live musical improv, variety show. You've got everything but the kitchen sink ? there's sketch comedy, there's video improv, there's singing and dancing, there's impersonations, there's musical improv. I've got a five-piece band and four dancers and an improv partner. And it really is unlike anything on The Strip.
What's the secret to developing great improv skills? Is it being aware of everything that's going on in pop culture, or is it more that you see things and look at things in a different way?
That's part of it, because you are taking information in and giving it back out again, but I think it's something that either you have or you don't. You can't teach someone to think a certain way, or to make certain connections. It's just the way that you're wired.
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