Greg Proops: Assembly George Square, Edinburgh, 2012
Greg Proops: The Smartest Man in The World: Gilded Balloon Teviot, Edinburgh, 2013
Big Comedy Gala in Aid of Macmillan Cancer: Venue 50 @ EICC, Edinburgh, 2013
What Does The Title Matter Anyway? Udderbelly, Bristo Square, Edinburgh, 2014
Paul Merton’s Impro Chums: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2014
Whose Line Is It Anyway at The Fringe: Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh, 2017
Whose Line Is It Anyway? Live at The Fringe: Underbelly, Bristo Square, Edinburgh, 2019
American actor, comedian and improviser Greg Proops is an Edinburgh Festival Fringe favourite having played most years in either a solo show, podcast, as apart of a play or famously as part of the Whose Line Is It Anyway team.
I first saw him at his solo show in 2012 at the Assembly George Square where the self-confident and self-assured comic sneered into the microphone comparing American politics with UK politics. The intelligently and sassy persona won the audience over and he stormed the night.
Proops podcast, The Smartest Man In The World went live at the Fringe in 2013. This was an hour of discussion at break-neck speed. It felt like a two-way conversation but was delivered in a lecture-style format of a one-way conversation. The podcast was part specialised, part demented comedy, Proops formed the show around his unique flair.
The success of Whose Line Is It Anyway? – the extremely successful televised improvisation show hosted by Clive Anderson and featuring a variety of improvisers including Josie Lawrence, Richard Vranch, Stephen Frost, Colin Mochrie and Proops meant that a live version was a sure-fire winner, which indeed it was when I saw the live show in 2014 (under an assumed name because of copyright reasons) and then proudly announcing Whose Line Is It Anyway? Live at The Fringe in 2017. Both live shows were big, popular hits at the festival with Proops commanding the stage with his sassy attitude and his amazing improvisational talent.
I saw Proops appear as a guest again on Whose Line Is It Anyway? Live at The Fringe in August 2019. Proops was extremely quick at adapting himself in the weird situation suggested by the audience and gaining laughs at a very high rate. Being part of a team that could transform into anything based on audience suggestions decided by the host was a joy to watch.