Second City's WINNER OF OUR DISCONTENT: A Review

Let's be totally honest - if you supported Donald Trump in November, you're probably not going to enjoy some of the sketches in Second City's latest review, The Winner of Our Discontent.

For the rest of us, don't worry - this Second City revue is not only one of their funniest revues, but it's also one of their more insightful productions that really strikes at the heart of how people are feeling...and processing...the events of the past year.

Now, if you are expecting particularly partisan sketches, well....there are a few moments. But many sketches in Second City's Winner of Our Discontent really strike at the heart of how many people are feeling. Everything from a son asking his mother not to smoke pot on her porch because they're "In Lake Forest, not Lombard" to a person frustrated at a bass player showing up in her dying mother's hospital room speaks to a general commentary on how some things seem off place, yet somehow gel.

Or as a quote from one sketch suggests, "Some things were meant to be broken."

Several sketches turn on a basic wish to be safe, to be secure, like the three African-American cast members "magically" becoming Caucasian, with additional complications. (There's no way I can do justice to the sketch - it deserves to be seen). Another focuses on a unique driver's education instructor and her effect on her students. You could state that Second City's Winner of Our Discontent has the unique claim of being both funny and compassionate, reassuring its audience as it ventures forth to explore that sense of disconnection.

My personal highlight was a monologue discussing the wish to go to "Black Heaven", where "Prince is Jesus". (I'm not making this up, nor am I going to try to quote the rest - it's best experienced live). It was one of the most touching, insightful, and flat-out funny monologues I've ever seen in years. (And you're reading the blog from a man who saw the Kids in the Hall live in the studio and onstage). Even towards the end, when another monologue states that we "lost a lot", the revue strikes on that feeling of disconnection and disappointment...and allows us the best revenge...by laughing at it.

Second City's The Winner of Our Discontent revue is a masterpiece: well-written, well-performed, and with insight and energy to spare.

At the end of the revue (right before the "unscripted third act), several brave souls - including myself - gave the troupe a standing ovation...because they deserved it.

Check out Second City's The Winner of Our Discontent, and you'll come to the same conclusion.

We're All In This Second City Together

(Full Disclosure - as part of Second City's media list, I received complimentary tickets for a special press premiere. Show formally opens on 7/1)

"Our jobs kick your jobs' ass!"

So it's the hottest day of the year - the first time Chicago temperatures broke 100 degrees in seven years. The kind of day which is best spent staying in an air-conditioned home consuming large quantities of chilled, non-alcoholic fluids.

However, this past Thursday evening I spent attending a special premiere of We're All In This Room Together, the latest revue from in Second City's ETC theater....and quite frankly, it was a great way to spend an evening.

It's also one of the more intriguingly staged productions - sketches "rewind" and provide different options and outcomes. There's much more audience engagement and "playing" in this revue. That's what makes this much more enjoyable and perhaps even fosters a desire to return, with the performances top-notch and a strong sense of playful exploration. It's one of the few times

Sketches focus on various levels of connection and disconnection, ranging from a country singer and her "all ex-husband" band to a man trying to get his child into U of C Lab School; from a couple cruising in a Ferrari in the 1980s to a debate between two candidates for city councilman. This is one of the more "physical" revues as well, with the cast energetically throwing themselves into their performance, avoiding what could easily be a sit-down-and-be-funny performance.

We Are All in This Room Together is one of the more successful ETC reviews because it is so intimate. It cuts straight to the heart, has a great deal of wit, and is mandatory viewing.

Go see this. You'll thank me later.

UP for SEX, LOVE & THE SECOND CITY

One of the cool things about being one of Second City's media contacts is that I get to see premieres (thanks to complimentary tickets) of some extremely cool shows, and then blog about them. Last night, I had another cool experience...or more precisely, a revisit with a new great place.

Second City has just opened the Up! Comedy club, located on the third floor of Piper's Alley, and although I have a picture of it on the left, photos do not do it justice. (My first experience at the club was for a taping of Chicago Live! last week). Spacious with just a hint of elegance, it's the kind of casual club experience we all want, but never seem to get. Thankfully, Up delivers on that count.

It also helps that I attended the premiere of  Sex, Love, and the Second City, a breathtaking set of sketches focusing on love and romance in the digital age. In many ways, this show feels like the troupe is building the future of Second City - integrating video and other media to create a lively, engaging, flat-out funny improv experience.

Separated by pre-recorded bits by Fred Willard (and others), Sex's material focuses on the challenges of finding love and romance in our iPhone/iPad/iLove era, focusing on a slightly dysfunctional couple, and two slightly nerdy individuals who are just having trouble making connections. Unlike several examples in popular culture, these are less a comedy writer's take on these individuals and more of a full-blooded approach to building out people you feel for...and care about. (Big Bang Theory, you might want to send your writers to attend and take notes).

There's a daring quality to these sketches, both in terms of content (some are definitely adult-themed), and in terms of performance. Although it would have been easy to let the Willard pieces dominate (with such lines about "an all-male version of The Vagina Monologues" and "weirder than a Mormon in Vegas"), the cast - Carisa Barreca, Jimmy Carlson, Amanda Blake Davis, and Ed Kross - handle themselves expertly; so much so that during one call-and-response sequence with a Willard segment, the timing was incredibly precise and spot-on.

(Side note - although I couldn't keep my eyes of Ms. Barreca for, well, less than noble reasons, I find a sense of deja vu with Mr. Kross. After doing some Googling, it turns out I had seen him before....playing Zeppo in Goodman's production of Animal Crackers. I only say this in order to demonstrate my own growing admiration and fascination for the Chicago theater scene).

In short, a sharply written revue, a wonderful modern venue...what else do you need?

Make plans. Clear your calendar. See this show.

Visiting the South Side of Heaven at Second City

As many of you know, I'm fortunate enough to receive an invitation to view a premiere of a Second City revue, and then I have the opportunity to write about it. (It helps them get the word out, and quite frankly, I have a pretty good time). I always manage to attend these revues with an open mind, and South Side of Heaven - the 99th revue, was no different.

I have to admit that my initial reaction is that South Side of Heaven is a little disturbing...but the good kind of disturbing.

In terms of structure and content, this is a revue that pushes at boundaries and handles some really complicated, uncomfortable issues - around race, sex, and the ultimate boundary: Cubs vs. Sox. But it's also one of the more intellectually challenging revues as well, since one or two of the sketches involve a little bit more thought in terms of how they proceed. (One actually seemed like it was a dream sequence towards the end).

In short, this is actually one of the more enjoyable revues that Second City has put on - it shows that there's a real willingness to improvise even within its own sketch form. And quite frankly, it's a show that is a little unsettling, but mostly in its striving to remain inventive and daring. And that's quite frankly what makes it thoroughly enjoyable. What appears to be a pre-show interview during a tech glitch, for example, turns into a key audience participation moment in the middle of a sketch. This revue's set of players - Edgar Blackmon, Tim Robinson, Holly Laurent, Katie Rich, Timothy Edward Mason, and Sam Richardson - are like the Bulls in their 1990s prime: a team that plays well, but more importantly - plays well together.

What's also great are some of the lines that come from the performer's mouths. There's a palpable sense of joy in saying things which should not be said. (There's even one sketch that involves Tim Robinson doing unspeakable things to a Chipotle burrito, and which needs to be seen to be believed). Some other lines which I hastily scribbled into my Picadilly notebook:

• The '90s aren't vintage - they're just gross
• I teach mandolin on YouTube
• ...at the truck stop giving handies and mouthies
• Benzos - thumbs up!
• I don't like that a word of theirs is a word only half of us can say....
• Normally we kill our animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo

In short, this is another must-see revue. And you might want to see it sooner rather than later - because since it's now nominated for a Jeff Award, it may mean that tickets might be a little harder to come by.

Make time for this one. Definitely worth it.

(And the biggest surprise to me came earlier in the night - I ended up at their etc theater by mistake, and noticed some familiar words at their door. Probably the greatest "thank you" gift I've ever received)