Vancouverites will soon have the chance to star in a show on stage with one of the world's best-known improvisers, as long as they're willing to be hypnotized.
Colin Mochrie and master hypnotist Asad Mecci are bringing their touring Hyprov show to Vancouver's Vogue Theatre on November 7. Equal parts improv and hypnotism, the unique live show gets audience members out of their heads and into the action.
And on stage with the freshly hypnotized impromptu actors will be former Vancouverite Mochrie.
Vancouver high school graduate returning home
Metro Vancouver has lots of star power, especially in the comedy realm, with the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Michael J. Fox, and Seth Rogen.
Mochrie is part of that list, too. He was born in Scotland before his family moved to Canada, eventually ending up in Vancouver by way of Edmonton.
"We'd just gotten electricity so everyone was pretty excited," Mochrie jokes.
It was at Killarney Secondary School where he first got into theatre. Mochrie next attended Langara College and learned to act and important lessons about what it meant to be a working actor, at its Studio 58, but improvised comedy wasn't on his radar.
"Improv wasn't a thing that was universally known," he tells V.I.A. by phone.
While at Langara, Mochrie saw a touring show from Theatresports before there was a Vancouver division, and it piqued his interest. He and a group of others, including writers, a cable guy, and other actors, started out at the City Stage on Thurlow Street.
When they started, they had to explain to people what improv was beforehand.
"It went from that to lineups around the block," Mochrie says. "It became a big cult thing."
Despite that early success, he didn't expect improv to become his bread and butter, never mind making him an internationally recognized comedian.
"I never thought this would be my career," he says. "It was all because of what I learned in Vancouver."
Mochrie left Vancouver to continue acting in 1987, but not before getting on screen at Expo 86 as part of Rainbow War, a 20-minute live-action/animated short film.
"It was an Oscar nominee," Mochrie recalls. "Expo was an amazing time though, I was doing 12 different shows."
He still comes back to Vancouver for a variety of reasons, including to visit his mother, brother, and sister, and to fundraise for Vancouver's Improv Centre. And, of course, he'll be here for Hyprov.
Hyprov history
The seed of the idea came from hypnotist Mecci's experiences learning improv at Toronto's Second City, where instructors told people to try to get out of their heads and be more in the moment.
"I thought 'Can I hack the system?'" Mecci tells V.I.A., explaining he figured he could hypnotize people into being more in the moment, for more spontaneous humour.
And when you think of improv, you probably think of Mochrie, given his legendary time on Whose Line is it Anyway? That's what Mecci thought as well, and emailed Mochrie, who signed on to start doing performances after the main show at Second City.
Over the years Hyprov has grown. Like Mochries's early days on Thurlow, the buzz around Hyprov grew in Toronto, helping sell out shows at Second City. Mochrie's manager Jeff Andrews helped develop the show more, and the duo took it to the Edinburgh Fringe, twice.
Now, a few years on, there's an ongoing residency in Las Vegas as well as multiple tours, with Mecci at most shows and Mochrie at many (though other comedians like Amber Nash from Archer and Gary Anthony Williams who you may recognize from Malcolm in the Middle or Whose Line do shows as well).
The Vancouver show (featuring both Mecci and Mochrie) will take place Nov. 7 (doors at 7 p.m.) at the Vogue Theatre on Granville Street, before they tour Vancouver Island. Tickets are $40 to $80 plus fees.
@hyprov He feels it where he can’t say 😂😂😆😅!! #whoselineisitanyway #hyprov #comedyshow #funny #colinmochrie #asadmecci #lasvegasshows #new #fyp @Colin Mochrie @Asad Mecci #lasvegas #harrahs ♬ original sound - HYPROV
