The Wait Is Finally Over

Together At Last – Second City

As with every theatre that has been shuttered for 18 months due to the pandemic, the wait is finally over! That much-loved Chicago comedy club, Second City has reopened with its 109th main stage revue. This original, brand-new, two-hour evening of short skits (including intermission) and songs is as topical and timely as we’ve come to expect from this company. The show is clever, funny and fast-paced. It’s crammed full of adult humor and profanity, making it appropriate for audiences over 18 years of age. It addresses such contemporary topics as, of course, COVID-19, the effects of the pandemic on everyone, vaccine mandates, the reluctance by some to getting vaccinated and President Biden and his policies. There’s also parodies about air travel and wearing masks (like everyone in the audience), social media, parent and child relationships, a rowdy Florida school board meeting, a contentious divorce and many, many other topics from today’s news. 

Audience members are encouraged to get into the act by answering the three questions found printed on the table next to their seats. Then they text their suggestions to the Second City tech support team. Throughout the evening some of the audience’s ideas are projected onto large screens, mounted on either side of the stage, so that cast members can complete what they’re saying with these non-sequitur ideas. It’s a lot like playing electronic Mad-Libs, and just as hilarious.

Directed with wit, flash and flare by the company’s Creative Director, Anneliese Toft, with seamless Musical Direction by Jeff Bouthiette, the cast brings everything they’ve got to the stage. Witty, sharp and able to turn on a dime, this group of six improv performers are as likable a cast as you’d ever hope to find. The show’s written (except for the many moments of on-the-spot improvisation) and performed by Mary Catherine Curran, Sarah Dell’Amico, Asia Martin, Jordan Savusa, Adam Schreck and Evan Mills. Each actor gets an opportunity to shine in the spotlight, usually in tandem with one or more of their scene partners. But while the laughter is practically nonstop, some of the satire doesn’t always land. However, a spoof about a raucous girls’ night out and an ongoing sketch that features the six cast members trying to survive a plane crash, while crammed cheek-to-cheek into a lifeboat, are some of the comic winning moments.

“A celebration of how we have persisted and even thrived during these impossibly difficult times,” is how Ms. Toft describes Second City’s return to Chicago’s comedy market. She stresses that it’s good to finally laugh at the absurdity of all we’ve experienced and continue to work through. The successes, as well as the failures, of this difficult time are at the forefront of Second City’s new revue. So, once again it’s time to grab a drink, settle back in your seat and get ready to laugh at everything we’ve been through, all Together at Last.

Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas        

Presented October 14-January 2 by Second City, 1616 N Wells Street, Chicago

Tickets are available by calling 312.337.3992 or going to www.secondcity.com.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.