Playwright (s) : Ensemble. At: Second City, 1616 N. Wells. Phone: (312) 337-3992; $17-$19. Runs through: open run
In their ninety-first revue, Second City pushes the envelope on political correctness. Nothing new there … if they didn’t push that envelope and act as equal opportunity offenders, they’d have one disappointed house. Still, this revue (celebrating their 45th anniversary) often has the power to make you gasp, in both delight and shock. The director (Mick Napier) and the ensemble (consisting of Brian Boland, Brian Gallivan, Antoine McKay, Maribeth Monroe, Jean Villepique, and Claudia Michelle Wallace) have created some of the edgiest comedy ever seen at this venue … and it’s refreshing. This is comedy with bite, totally irreverent.
If ever a time cried out for zaniness and lack of political correctness, it’s the US in 2004. Red Scare (a reference to the ‘red states’ a portion of the country that this revue does not, decidedly, include itself) is chock full of jabs at the current regime (a black out where a little boy is being read a bedtime story ends with a whispered, ‘Goodnight, Mr. President’; the failure of the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy for gays in the military will be reintroduced as ‘don’t leave, don’t leave’; the show coins a new word—Republicunt; and Condoleeza Rice is revealed to be a robot). It’s not so surprising that Second City would find plenty to malign in Bushland … an easy target. What is surprising is the amount of racial humor that surfaces. One could easily make arguments for calling this humor shockingly irreverent or shockingly racist (and the fact that two of the ensemble members are black wouldn’t soften the latter argument). But I’m grateful that Second City still dares to walk a tightrope of what some might refer to as racism. I think discerning audiences will realize that it’s not African Americans who are being made fun of; but racists themselves. Pieces about African American Day in Boise, Idaho (only two black people show up; ‘Where’s Jerome?’ one asks. ‘He move,’ the other replies) ; racism in the corporate culture (which skewers misguided attempts by whites to be ‘hip’) ; and the discomfort of an interracial couple at Starbucks all serve to point out the absurdity of discrimination.
The first act of Red Scare really moves, thanks to the polished ensemble, the sharp writing, and the quicksilver abilities of the cast to change character. Pieces about a child not having ADD (or any other of today’s anagrammatic disorders), but just being D.U.M.B.; an older African American woman with markedly different views regarding the beauty of childbirth; and the aforementioned office racism skit are all examples of daring comedy at its finest.
The second act, although shorter, doesn’t move as well as the first. It has its high points (the ‘You’re an Asshole’ song, replete with examples; a clash between right and left wing couples), but is dragged down by a depressing piece about cancer and a piece about bodybuilders and gays coexisting in a gym that goes on long after it’s made its slim point. The gay humor in the show, overall, is weak (earlier we’re treated to the addition of a gay best friend in Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, a sassy Harvey Fierstein type), making one wonder if there are any true homos in the cast.
All in all, though, this latest revue is smart and fun. Closing with a plea for unity in these divided times, however far we might have to reach to find common ground (everyone would agree that the sight of Dick Cheney running in a thong would be repulsive), sums the show up with a refreshing burst of reality and compassion.