Review Of Laughternoon, starring Adam London
Updated 06/17/2010
Laughternoon, starring Adam London (CLOSED)
By Chuck Rounds

Wayne Brady: "Making %@*T Up" is playing at the Venetian Showroom in the Venetian Resort and
Casino. It is an improvisational show that is created on the spot through the suggestions of
the audience. The structured improv sketches are accomplished with his partner on stage and
backed up by a small band. For the most part, the show is hilarious...it sometimes struggles
when either the suggestions are banal or the audience volunteers drag action to a halt. Wayne
Brady is one of the most versatile performers in show business today. He has been entertaining
audiences with his acting, improv, singing, and dancing on television, film, and the stage.
Brady has gotten a lot of television time lately, and has guest starred on The Dave Chappelle
Show, 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, Dirt, and Everybody Hates Chris. He became well known for
his improvisational skills on ABC’s Whose Line Is It Anyway? for which he won an Emmy and
earned four Emmy nominations. Brady went on to host his own syndicated talk/variety show The
Wayne Brady Show for two years. Brady picked up two Emmys for Outstanding Talk Show Host and
the show won an Emmy for Outstanding Talk Show. He can also be seen hosting Don’t Forget the
Lyrics.
Brady is a well-known triple threat performer. He dances, sings, acts; and he does them all
well. In this production, he brings out all of his skills and stays on top of every suggestion
and situation. What we see more than anything is the quick and brilliant mind of Brady. We
watch as the wheels of his mind turn and come up with some amazing answers to what would
normally be impossible situations. Improvisation is an interesting acting skill. It is a
practiced art that certainly gets better the more it is done, but there is still that element
of spontaneity. It is amazing to watch a masterful improvisational performance.
As audience members, we do our best to come up with what we might say if we were given the
situation and circumstances...and inevitably, our solutions pale in comparison to what we are
given by Brady.
Brady is made to look ever better because of his partner and the musicians that are onstage
with him. They support all of his efforts and even mask some of the more awkward moments.
Wayne Brady: "Making %@*T Up" is a great show when all of the elements are working well
together, but it is a fragile greatness---one that can be brought to a grinding halt for almost
any reason. On the night that I saw the show, there was one volunteer that was brought up from
the audience that was just terrible. The show went from funny to awkwardly quiet...the best
thing that they could do was to end the sketch as quickly as possible.
Wayne Brady: "Making %@*T Up" is a lot of fun, and it is worth seeing. Seeing a brilliant mind
combined with a lot of talent is always a great combination.