Kings of comedy
Written: Mar 17 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Stellar cast, stellar writing, top-notch performances -- plus free late-night improv
Cons: Not the place for folks who like their humor vanilla
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| greggles's Full Review: The Second City |
I could toss out superlatives about these folks from now right into next week, but it comes down to this: The Second City rules.
Forty years old, the theatre is a crucible for American comedy, and a training ground for some of the greatest funny men [and women] of our time. Bill Murray played there. Mike Myers? Him too. John Belushi? Yep -- and his brother Jim. Chris Farley, Dan Ackroyd, Gilda Radner, Harold Ramis ... the list goes on and on. It's about as close as you can get to a comedy hall of fame -- this place's knack for discovering talent is that good.
But enough of all this reverent business: what counts is that The Second City is blisteringly funny. Ridiculously funny. Make-you-giddy-enough-to-slap-your-grandmama funny. Set foot in there, and you're guaranteed the deepest, hardest, longest, loudest laugh of your life. And that's just the first minute.
Step inside, look at the wall of photos of great alumni, and already you're awed. Once you've made your way to your seats, the hostesses usually ply the crowd for a while with drinks . Which is fine, because you're to laugh. Getting a little tipsy helps.
Once they dim the lights, you're in for mindblowing comedy. Shows there usually jump right out of the gate. Jokes and gags come one after another, until you're laughing so hard you can barely tell what's going on. And the shows spare no one, revere nothing -- some of the sketches are about as bawdy and scathing as you can get. Sex, politics, stereotypes, race, gender -- everything's game, and anyone can get torched.
Literally anyone, because at any time, the cast might rope someone from the audience onto the stage, ask them for a word, get them to tell them their favorite cereal -- and then proceed to do some savagely funny improv based on whatever nonsense the hapless spectator happened to say. I've seen it happen twice, and when it works, it can be outstandingly good and a real highlight of the show.
If the main shows are past your budget, they've still got plenty for you -- the Etc. stage for experimental comedy and not-ready-for-prime-time gigs, and then a free improv set after the shows on Friday and Saturday nights. Just show up outside the theatre around midnight on weekends, wait for the crowd to file out, and then the staff will wave you in, let you get a chair, and watch while the cast gets to throw out the script and cut loose. For the price, it's a huge treat -- you might not get consistent laughs, but ideas can pop out of nowhere during those after-show sets, and sometimes it's having a front-row seat to sheer brilliance.
My words can't do these folks justice; Second City is truly a temple of the greats. Just go ... and be prepared to laugh so hard that you'll still hurt the next morning.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
greggles
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Member: Greg Greene
Location: Chicago, Ill.
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 10 members
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