Tag Archives: second city

Second City is First for Improv

Chicago’s Second City alumni list reads like a who’s who of today’s Hollywood comedic hard-hitters: Bill Murray, Jim Belushi, Stephen Colbert, Jeff Garlin, Mike Meyers, Bonnie Hunt, Chris Farley, Tina Fey and oh-so-many more are among those to have once graced the stage (and still do on special occasions). That said, who knows who tomorrow’s stars are, but you’re sure to find at least one of them on the stage at Second City at any given time. This is after all, the best improv-based comedy school and theater in the world.

Always pushing the envelope with witty humor that plays on everything from American politics to the flu, the Second City packs in audiences every day of the week, so buying tickets in advance is always recommended. On top of the stand up gigs, shows with a modern twist, a la Taming of the Flu, are performed on the main stage. Aside from the main stage, shows take place at the Skybox Theater and Chicago E.T.C.

For those who don’t want to stop the experience as a spectator only, classes are available. Who knows, maybe the next star is you?

Seasonal Affective Disorder? Laugh it Off at Zanies

If you think the Second City is the only place to have a good laugh in Old Town, think again. Just a block down from the famous Second City is Zanies Comedy Club where you can find the best stand-up the city has to offer. Comedians from places like Comedy Central, HBO (regular appearances by Jeff Green and Suzie Essman), late night shows and of course, hot, new local talent perform on Zanie’s famously small stage. Recently, Zanies partnered with TBS for “A Very Funny Festival,” hosting shows with stars from TBS.

The intimate surroundings of Zanies make for heartier laughs. Here you are likely to get called upon by the comedians and after the two drinks you’re required to consume, you probably won’t care. To be fair, avoiding the two-drink purchase may be done with canned goods donations.

With a calendar full of shows, finding fun themes is oh-so-simple like “Ladies Night,” “Rising Star Challenge,” and “Best of Chicago.”

Insider Tip: Buy tickets to big shows in advance (online) as the big names do sell out and long lines form at the club, even on weeknights.

50 Years of Funny: Taming of the Flu

50 Years of Funny. Hell yeah. Bravo to Chicago’s Second City which has been going strong for 50 straight years producing some of the world’s favorite comedians and productions that push the envelope. This season, why not make fun of the flu? After all – it’s everywhere, coughing, sneezing, calling in sick for work – and you can believe the Second City cast will capitalize on it with their newest production, The Taming of the Flu.

What can you expect here? According to the Second City:

While hope and change won’t stop you from getting sick, they may help you pay the hospital bills. And if you believe that, we have a great policy to sell you. We’re sick of the flu, sick of the health care system, and sick of the cameras catching us running the red lights. Although technology & Twitter have supposedly made us a smaller world, people have never felt farther apart. Taming of the Flu connects with everyone: put-upon Chicago cabbies, Canadian expatriates and even a visit with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni.

Leave it to the Second City to incorporate so much more than just one topic. Word of the wise: snag your tickets fast because they’re becoming harder and harder to cough up.

The Taming of the Flu plays Tuesday through Sunday with multiple shows on weekends.