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‘Second to None
By Emily Chase
The Second City
comedy troupe stopped by Sangamon Auditorium Saturday, Feb. 7
for a night of first class comedy.
For the
uninitiated, Second City, based in Chicago, has long been a
training ground for some of the country’s most talented actors and
comedians (and many future SNL cast members): Tina Fey,
John Candy, Dan Ackroyd, Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Fred Willard,
Dan Castellaneta, Mike Meyers, Chris Farley and Joan Rivers.
Second City’s
performance at Sangamon could be divided into a few categories.
They performed sketches, pre-written and rehearsed mini plays;
shorts, basically jokes that lasted less than thirty seconds and
the improv, which relied heavily on audience involvement.
With any
performance this cast had their ups and downs. The trope excelled
at improv while the written sketches had a tendency to run long
and uneven.
However, some of
the sketches were entertaining. A parody of Scott McClellan’s
White House press conferences gave us “Operation Indiana Freedom,”
in which the federal government invades Indiana. However, the
residents of Gary are oblivious to the violence; it’s just a
normal day to them. An uneventful retelling of the writing of the
Bill of Rights by Jefferson, Franklin and Hancock ended on a high
note. When Franklin voices concern about who may have access to
arms under the 2nd Amendment, the others assure him
that muskets, the super weapon of the future, will keep the
country safe. Cut to robberies, suicides and drive by shootings
with the labor-intensive musket, all set to the tune of “Gangsta’s
Paradise.”
Gov. Blagojevich
also was a target, being replaced in the governor’s mansion by a
pony named Chestnut. (In all fairness to Blagojevich, Chestnut
later in the show went on to run against Bush for president, so
clearly she is a fine campaigner.)
Though some of the
sketches seemed pointless, one stands out in memory. A man goes
to the courthouse to deal with parking tickets racked up by a
friend who borrowed his car and meets an immigrant waiting to be
sworn in as an American citizen. The immigrant proudly displays
his knowledge of American history until the other man, who is
black, in forms him that “that’s not American history.” Nothing
of civil rights, the Harlem Renaissance or slavery (outside the
Civil War) is on the test and the African American decries the
white-washed legends that comprise history. This was a serious
scene, kept light by the immigrant’s quirky mannerisms and perhaps
the greatest line of the night. Just as the audience is feeling
low, the black man says, “…and Washington and all about how Besty
Ross stayed up all night sewing the flat when you KNOW that bitch
had slaves!”
In their encore,
after a night of taking suggestions from audience members for
topics, the cast found a man in the audience and sang about his
childhood ambition of being a police officer. Completely off the
cuff, the cast danced and, in an amazing feat of concentration and
anticipation, sang three part harmony as they made up the lyrics.
Standouts in the
small cast included Allison Bills, a petite, whiny-voiced actress;
Tom Jonathan Keaton, with a beautiful singing voice and commanding
stage presence despite a small body and Dina Facklis, a statuesque
woman whose quick wit and sharp reactions embodied the improv
spirit.
Music is an
important part of Second City, with a pianist on the stage
providing background music all the time and pre-recorded works
accompanying certain sketches.
The audience at
Second City was one of the youngest audiences ever to grace
Sangamon, with the average age between 25 and 35. Second City’s
arrival brought non theatergoers to Sangamon Auditorium and UIS
and we hope they will return.
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