Funny and Unforgettable Ad-Libs

[jasobres]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 10:53am

I know that Jackie Hoffman was the queen of ad libs when she was in Hairspray. (You can post a few of those on this thread since I don't think I recall any of them.) But were there any other ad libs in some shows that were very funny and completely unforgettable?

I remember the second time I saw Wicked when Kristin and Idina were in the leads, during the "Popular" dialogue, after Kristin does her little "ball gown....ball gown" gag, she tries to see if the wand is working and hits it on the bed and accidentally breaks it! To go with the flow, she just shrugs and says, "It's a training wand, anyway!"

Updated On: 6/21/05 at 10:53 AM

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 10:56am

Hahaha! Well, Bruce Vilanch does a stand up show during "Timeless to Me" and made a joke about Jews going to Florida and not to see Hairspray.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 10:56am

Oh! Sorry to double post but duirng Wicked, during "One Short Day" Shoshana did the hiarfilp and Megan yelled YOU GO GIRL!!!

[ElphabaRose]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 10:59am

When I saw DRS, during "Oklahoma?" somehow the gun didn't get on stage so Sara Gettlefinger makes a gun with her hands and goes "BANG!! BANG!!...this is a gun...BANG!!!!"

[trpguyy]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:06am

I'm sorry, it's from Wicked. Don't burn me.

"Fellow Ozians....I love Idina Menzel!"

[jasobres]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:08am

Oh, yeah, in Spamalot, I understand that every time Hank Azaria, as the leader of the Knights Who Say "Ni!", says the line after "We are now no longer the Knights Who Say 'Ni!'", he does a lot of improv.

The night I saw it, it was "We are now The Knights Who Say...'Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-Ekki-Ptang-Zoop-Boing-Ole...famous German phrase, my ass..." or something like that.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:11am

When I saw it, Hank made a bunch of gibberish sounds for almost an entire minute, then ended it with "Who let the dogs out? WHOO WHOO WHOO." EVERYONE on stage was cracking up, Tim Curry especially.

[jasobres]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:20am

bump

[Kevo711]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:20am

when i saw hairspray.. when the phone was sopossed to ring it rang but for some reason wasnt on stage... Bruce Vilanch said something like "The phones ringing, but i cant see it" then someone randomly walked on the stage with the phone (the phone had stopped ringing by now) and bruce picked it up and said.... "Can You here me now? GOOD!" it was hilarious but it might have been one of those "you had to be there moments"

[bwaybaby4966]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:24am

When I saw "The Producers" with Matthew and Nathan, they were both cracking up for the longest time because something funny happened (I can't exactly remember what), and Nathan said something to the effect of "I want to go where they took Mariah" (because Mariah Carey had just been taken away to "relax" for a while). It was HILARIOUS!

[jasobres]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:29am

I read about that in Jeffry Denman's published diary. And it says that Nathan said, "I'm gonna jump!" And he pretended to jump out the window and then he came back up and said, "Don't worry, it was only one story high" or something. It also says that Nathan was trying to get the second "NEVER PUT YOUR OWN MONEY IN THE SHOW!!!!!" out.

Updated On: 6/21/05 at 11:29 AM

[elphieisperky]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:30am

God, there's a lot. But my fave, from Wicked actually, are JLT and Idina's chocolate and cheese, and JLT and Shoshana's bucket thingy. Classic moments that will always be remembered (by me, at least).
Updated On: 6/21/05 at 11:30 AM

[wendy72]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:32am

When I saw The Producers (for the 3rd time), Matthew was out of the show, and during the 11 o'clock number "Betrayed ", when Nathan as Max says "Intermission" and takes a breath, he added "and where the HELL is Matthew Broderick?!"...it was priceless, the audience went wild!
Updated On: 1/24/06 at 11:32 AM

[Thenardier]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:38am

I'll add another Wicked one (make it look unprofessional)

Right before "Dancing Through Life," Kristin tripped on a step and fell to the bottom. As she was falling, she yelled out, "Sweet Oz!"

When she stood up, she turned to whomever was behing her and said, "Whoa! Watch out for that step."

[Tirso de Molina]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:39am

My recent fave was Michael Arden's ad-lib in the Actor's Fund PIPPIN concert, after making a mistake toward the end of "Extraordinary." He missed a line right at the end of the song (which can happen to anyone, even if you have the score as he did) but got the final high note, and after the applause he said something like, "I'm extraordinary. I can't read music, but I'm extraordinary!" It was VERY funny.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:39am

"when i saw hairspray.. when the phone was sopossed to ring it rang but for some reason wasnt on stage... Bruce Vilanch said something like "The phones ringing, but i cant see it" then someone randomly walked on the stage with the phone (the phone had stopped ringing by now) and bruce picked it up and said.... "Can You here me now? GOOD!" it was hilarious but it might have been one of those "you had to be there moments"

Sorry, that was me, but I didn't just walk on the stage, I thrust my arm out, holding the phone to Bruce. I talk about it in my latest interview:



Star Dresser Interview

[bella cantato]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:42am

I think that's pretty professional. She stayed in character, esp by yelling "Sweet Oz!" and not some obscenity like I probably would have.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:43am

No, I meant the fact that most of the adlibs are from Wicked. Just kidding.

I think that's what made it so funny - was that she stayed in character.

[bwaybaby4966]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:43am

Speaking of Michael Arden, he is SO HOT!!!!! And I've heard he's going to be in an off-Broadway show soon (maybe Second Stage?)...has anyone heard anything about that?

[Thenardier]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:47am

"Power Puff Girl, you are FIRED"

I can just see him saying that - HILARIOUS!

[jasobres]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:50am

Here's that list of Jackie Hoffman's ad libs that I mentioned previously:
BWW Exclusive! — Jackie Hoffman's Greatest Ad Libs from Hairspray

[Jwei123]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:50am

Not ad-libs, but riffs.


I'll always remember Caren Lyn's riffs.

[musicnmath]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:52am

Another Hairspray moment. I saw it in Phoenix when there was a fire alarm within the first 20 minutes! We had just met the Corny Collins gang at the studio. I sort of interestedly watched to see how the whole thing went down. Just as we were coming back in, a 2nd one went off. I was curious how the show would start, but that fire alarm couldn't have been better placed. The curtain opened, set pieces moved back in places, actors filed out "And we're back in 5...4...3...2...1" So very clever. Then (I think it was Bruce) really riffed on that in his later song. Really really funny. Wish I could remember the lines exactly. Somehow it was funnier than his other stuff only because you know he made it up on the spot.

[bronte311]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:53am

The night I saw Spamalot, after the minute or so of gibberish as the Knight of Ni, Hank added, "So come up to the lab -- and see what's on the slab!" And of course, being Hank Azaria, he was able to make his voice sound exactly like Tim Curry's. It was extremely funny! Tim looked so surprised and then so delighted...

[jasobres]

Posted: 6/21/05 at 11:56am

In that list of Jackie Hoffman's ad libs, why does almost every single one of them have to do with stepping over someone? Where does she do that in the show?