INTERVIEW: Come on down to ‘The Price Is Right Live!’
Photo: The Price Is Right LIve, featuring the hosting talents of Mark L. Walberge, is currently touring the United States. Photo courtesy of the State Theatre / Provided with permission.
The Price Is Right game show is part of American culture and for nostalgia lovers an undying brand that has given society so many catch phrases, collective memories and hopeful dreams. It’s the show of “Come on down,” a big spinning wheel, the Showcase and Plinko.
Just think of how many pets have been spayed and neutered thanks to the retired Bob Barker’s tagline.
Now audiences can catch The Price Is Right Live, an interactive traveling game show that stops Tuesday, April 16 at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
“What we try to do is celebrate the television show that we all love,” said host of the live experience, Mark L. Walberg. “We give the audience as much of the TV show idea as we can. We’ve got the set, the prizes and all the games. The fun part is that all of our contestants are randomly selected, so whoever buys a ticket can register. We never know who is going to end up on stage.”
Walberg knows TV shows perhaps better than anyone else. He is the host of Temptation Island USA and Antiques Roadshow, and now he’s bringing the energy of The Price Is Right around the nation.
“Earlier in my career I did a lot of warmup, a lot of improv, and worked with audiences, and as my career progressed, I became more of the star of the show and less the warmup guy,” he said. “So my chance to get out there and improvise and have fun with the people, this is my outlet for that, so I just love it. … I don’t know if it was a career choice, or if it chose me. I was working in production in the early, early, early years of my career, and I was working for Dick Clark. And so I had access to game shows and began as a warmup guy, as I mentioned, and was grateful to get to do some great game shows over the years and continue to do them. I’ve done all kinds of TV, but the game shows have always been near and dear to my heart.”
The team members at The Price Is Right Live have selected some of the most beloved games from the TV show for the live show — ensuring, of course, that the selected ones are not too big to travel. After all, the schedule is busy, with Walberg and company setting up shop in multiple states any given week.
After a show of spinning wheels and Showcase prizes, Walberg is surprisingly not that tired, even though the experience demands a lot of him.
“I would say I’m energized,” he said. “It’s so fun. I’m a fan of Price Is Right, as are the people there. It’s just a big party, and when it’s over, I wish we could do it all over again. Sometimes we do two in a day, but most of the time, it’s just one and we’re done. … One of the things that I love about the show is that it’s on almost everyone’s bucket list in one shape or another, so being a part of them getting a chance to do the things they dreamed about is a blast. And when they win, it’s even better.”
The live experience does give away real money and real prizes. They don’t reach the same heights as the TV show, but that is to be expected. The host said some of the takeaways can be worth thousands of dollars, and there’s even a chance to win a brand-new car (or, in the parlance of The Price Is Right, a BRAND-NEW CAR!).
“Ours is more like if a game show met a rock concert,” he said of The Price Is Right Live. “We’ve got 1,500 people, 2,000 people depending on where we are, sometimes more than that. They’re all psyched to be there, and it’s all live. So it’s a blast. … I’ve been doing this for many years now, and with game shows I find that improv is always best. And so certainly having done it for a while, there are things that I know work, jokes that I know are going to come up, but for the most part I try to keep it loose and see what happens, play with the crowd.”
For Walberg, his fascination with game shows goes all the way back to when he was a child, sitting next to his grandmother and enjoying some entertainment on the television.
“My memories, with all game shows really, have to do with my grandmother, who is no longer with us,” he said. “When I would be with her, we would watch them all day long, and The Price Is Right is sort of that soundtrack you have around your house if you’re sick in school, you stay home, it’s a holiday. That music is iconic to all of us and part of our shared tapestry, so I’m thrilled to be part of it.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Price Is Right Live will play Tuesday, April 16 at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Click here for more information and tickets.
Updated: 4-16-19
