For comedic duo Mochrie and McGrath, laughter is the spice of life
The Daters
Colin Mochrie has starred for 32 years on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” His show “Hyprov: Improv Under Hypnosis” with renowned hypnotist Asad Mecci stops in Toronto April 9-14. Debra McGrath is an actor, writer, and producer who has appeared on “Little Mosque on the Prairie” and “Baroness Von Sketch.” The couple also tours their own improv show across the country.
The Dates
Colin “This will shock your readers, but I was never great at the dating thing. Most of my relationships started off as friendships that took a turn without the use of dates. In fact, two of my ‘dates’ ended up being breakups. And both on my birthday.”
Debra “I met my husband when I hired him for Second City; I was directing the touring company at the time. First thing I noticed about him was how good an improviser he was — and that he was cute and had dimples. I love dimples. He has good ones. So we knew each other for a while before we had a first date. At a cottage weekend with friends, I shamelessly professed my attraction to him in a canoe. After that, we kept meeting at coffee shops to come up with reasons why we shouldn’t be together.
Colin “We were at a cottage with friends and in a canoe when Deb admitted an attraction to me while I was worrying I was getting sunburnt. (I was.) As I look back, I am amazed that we did end up together after that because I am such an idiot.”
Debra “Finally we gave in and our grand romance started with the 7:30 showing of ‘Dirty Dancing.’ I liked it. He didn’t. He was very shy and I was impressed that he just didn’t go along with me: I love that he expressed an opposite opinion to me. I started to see that there was much more to this sweet, quiet guy.” Colin “I thought going to ‘Dirty Dancing’ would prove my love for her. The thing I remember most was the feeling that she was the one. I had never felt that relaxed with a person before.”
Debra “We became exclusive very quickly. All that time worrying over whether or not we should be together escalated our desire to be together. It was silly, romantic … and fast. We were both very clear about wanting marriage and children and said so right out of the gate. So our next thought was, why wait?”
Colin “It was romantically casual. I had always wanted to get married, which was not really a dating plus in the 1970s and ‘80s. Deb was the first person I was with that I knew with absolute certainty that we would be getting married. I think it was decided even before the first date.”
Debra “Now, we love Indian street food in our neighbourhood. Our regular spot is Soho House and we go there often. For brunch, we love The Four Seasons, The Drake and Chadwick’s.”
Colin “My favourite date spot I can’t recommend to others because it’s my home. I do love being able to cook for Deb, put on some vinyl and dance and, not to sound like an old fogey, be able to have a conversation without loud music drowning us out. Also, the AGO and the ROM are good for a couple of dates throughout the year. And, every once in a while, we get a little more elaborate. On a trip to New York, we decided to come up with five dates that would be a surprise for the other and they all had to be something that we had never done in the Big Apple. It ranged from a concert at the Lincoln Center to skating in Central Park to dinner and dancing at the Rainbow Room. Planning something like that really makes you focus on your partner and the desire to make it special.”
Debra “For laughs, we go to Second City and plays with a comic bent, and we always enjoy a drag show. The Drake has a great one. Anywhere we go on a date really though, even if it’s our own home, we laugh. Because we laugh all the time anyway. I’d like to think that laughter can make any relationship better. Life can be challenging, so finding the funny in things is essential.”
Colin “I remembered when we were in Venice for New Year’s once and I had called the restaurant in advance to make sure that they had vegetarian options for Deb. They may have lied to us. When they brought Deb’s meal, I thought we were done for the night.”
Debra “We have a wonderful marriage and it’s because we stay connected dating, talking, walking and travelling. Our life is one big date. When we’re dealing with any issues in our lives, we put on a fire and sit in our living room and chat. Maybe with food or a drink or maybe just a coffee or tea. Home is always the best place to figure things out.”
Colin “If we’re going through a difficult patch, I resist going out anywhere. Especially on my birthday.”