LowLife Staff Reviews

"Consistent Quality"

(A review by Mike Weatherford of the Las Vegas Review-Journal 5/08)

"Consistent Quality: Second City comedy troupe wrings fresh material out of simple ideas"

I'm blaming the parking garages.

There's really no good reason why locals haven't made The Second City their own, embracing the Chicago-based comedy troupe as one of those "locals secrets" they share with their out-of-town visitors, and one of the reasons they'll venture to the Strip.

The comedy troupe puts up a fresh show at least once a year, with each edition having an overall quality that varies only within the range of "well worth seeing" to "amazingly good." But after six years, I'm still amazed at the lack of familiarity with Second City when I'm hit up for show tips.

Locals are far more loyal to "Mystere," which is kid-friendly but barely has changed a beat since 1993. Hence, the parking theory. The Treasure Island garage is a couple of easy right turns from an I-15 exit. The Flamingo Las Vegas has two garages, both of them labyrinths, and valet isn't that much easier to find.

But it's oh so worth it to see the guy (Michael Lehrer) who hires the no-nonsense Vegas hooker (Robyn Norris) to rehearse his marriage proposal for his gal back home.

Or the anxious dude (Rob Belushi) who wheels into a store to fast-grab some condoms before his gal loses the mood, only to be sized up and lectured by the seniors behind the counter.

It's sketch comedy grounded in reality and an occasional touch of sweetness. It's certainly less cartoonish than "Saturday Night Live," which brought the Second City format to the masses and continues to tap its talent pool (including Jason Sudeikis, who was part of the Flamingo cast in 2002 and '03).

Belushi might be next in line to be called up, if only because his name (he's the son of Jim, nephew of the late John). But here he's just one-fifth of a strong team, and talent scouts will weigh his topical election-season rap against Lehrer's soliloquy as a dancer at the Pork 'N Dreams gay club, who is having a career crisis at 24 but believes in "the audacity of hope."

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A review by Mike Weatherford of the Las Vegas Review-Journal

"The Second City: Getting a Rise: Second City Laughs Go for the Gut and the Head
One sketch (on Viagra) does not a whole show make, but that one sets the benchmark for what Second City delivers when it's firing on all cylinders: a perfect balance of laughs that simultaneously go for the gut and the head. When it hits, it's a singular form of theatrical comedy that's made the troupe a Chicago fixture since 1959 and offered a distinct alternative on the Strip since 2001.

The five performers write their own material, and the new edition at the Flamingo Las Vegas retains three cast members -- Katie Neff, Paul Mattingly and Craig Uhlir -- and director Jim Carlson, who is charged with shaping their ideas into a cohesive whole.

The troupe returns to the raunchy treatment of grown-up themes from last year, spending a lot of time on the sexual politics that drive modern society at home and the office. Even the weaker sketches are better than most "Saturday Night Live" skits these days."
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