Second City is looking for love in all the weird places
For anyone who’s ever been in a relationship — and anyone who hasn’t — laughter is usually the best course of action in dealing with it.
Chicago’s Second City comedy troupe presents a Valentine’s Day-inspired comedy show, The Best of Second City: “With Love, from The Second City,” at 5 and 8 p.m. Feb. 10 at the McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn.
The show takes shots at new love and heartache alike and features sketches from The Second City’s history plus the company’s trademark improvisation. The cast of six members includes George Elrod and Annie Sullivan, who actually met in college and have been doing improv together for almost a decade, Elrod said.
They agree that the connection between them has served them well.
“I think George and I have a very playful and silly and loving dynamic and I think because we know each other so well, we are safe in feeling we can be a little biting with each other,” Sullivan said.
“Our whole ensemble is very close, which makes the comedy show that much better to watch because we really trust each other and support each other,” Elrod said.
The structure of the show is a collection of sketches, each five to seven minutes long, that explore different relationship dynamics, Sullivan said.
“From dating to situationships to breakups … it’s an all-encompassing show about relationships and love in the theme of the Valentine’s Day holiday,” she said.
“We love exploring relationships in all stages of them, from the beginning to the end,” he said. “Think awkward dates, people who might be too comfortable with each other — all that is fair game in our show.”
In addition to freshly written sketches, audiences will be treated to sketches from the archives of Second City written by some of the funniest comics to pass through its hallowed halls.
“You get to take a hold of material you’ve seen absolute legends perform and have the opportunity to make it your own,” she said. “It’s similar to doing a wellknown play — you get to delve into a character you’ve seen so much in your life and you get to really make it your own.”
“I always love seeing some of the famous names come up in the archive — Aidy Bryant or Tina Fey,” he said. “And see those names and know that when they were writing it, they may have been at the part of their careers that we are. It’s really exciting to see that where they began, we also get to take their material and do something original to us.”
There will be some audience participation and interaction, he said. “They might see their own relationships shown as we interpret it onstage through improv,” he said.
But don’t worry, the cast promises to love and respect the audience, Elrod said.
“We always make sure that the audience member looks like a rock star,” Sullivan agreed.
A strength of the show lies in its collection of sketches, he said.
“There’s always an opportunity to see something new and different in the next scene,” he said.
The Valentine’s Day-themed show is one of their favorites to perform. “When you’re writing a show geared toward a theme, (like) writing a Valentine’s show, relationships are so generalized there’s really a lot of stuff you can sink your teeth into,” Sullivan said. “It’s one of my favorites. And I love love.”
“For anyone who holds little to no reverence for a relationship, you are also welcome,” Elrod said. “It is a girl’s night crowd, it is an anniversary crowd, it is Galentine’s, Valentine’s, Palentine’s
— all the fun times. We won’t disappoint. It’s a great time — especially in our balmy Chicago winter — to cozy up and laugh.”
“It’s a guaranteed night of laughs and celebrating love,” she said. “It will be a really special night for people to remember.”