The Second City

Last night, I attended a comedy show by this troupe called The Second City at James Madison University. I really didn't know much about them before going to the show, but it turned out to be a lot of fun and they were hilarious. Apparently quite a few comedians and actors today have gone through the ranks of this troupe such as Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Chris Farley, Stephen Colbert, and Mike Myers. It has been a starting point for many actors and comedians in the show business and its alumni have gone on to many different things such as SNL, Wayne's World, The Daily Show, 30 Rock, and Conan.  Second City is an improvisational comedy group from Chicago. Since starting in the late fifties, they have been touring all over the country performing at a wide variety of locations, including colleges and universities. 

Their skits ranged from awkward dinner dates to political debates and many forms of standup comedy. They also did a lot of audience participation which I thought was funny because they had to come up with stories and jokes on the spot and think fast about it. Even after just hearing something, they were always able to come up with elaborate stories and jokes to make everything in the audience laugh. In fact, I think some people never stopped laughing through the 90 minutes of the show. 

If anyone has the opportunity to see them perform live anywhere I would highly recommend it. Tickets were only $5 so it was a steal to see that much talent perform for so cheap.