Lackluster Revue: Second City's 'Algorithm Nation, or The Static Quo' Fails to Pack Much Punch -- Chicago Theater / Comedy Review

Sketch Comedy Review

Algorithm Nation or, The Static Quo
107th Mainstage Revue
The Second City, Chicago
Open Run
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It's not usually my style, but I think I'll cut right to the chase.

I didn't much like the Second City's new mainstage revue, titled--curiously--Algorithm Nation or, The Static Quo.

Failing to understand, or appreciate, the repeated motif of algorithms controlling our lives, I didn't find the show particularly funny, insightful, illuminating or inspired.

I say this with alliteration but no glee, as I have great regard for Second City's history, legacy and veneration.

I am also greatly appreciative of being invited to see & review the 107th Mainstage Revue on its opening night.

The overall experience was first-rate, and locals and tourists should keep attending Second City on a somewhat regular basis. A fun night isn't just about LOL moments or thought-provoking skits.

But I'm simply reviewing the show, and while I have great admiration for the talents and personas of the writers and performers--Ryan Asher, Tyler Davis, Jeffrey Murdoch, Emma Pope, Nate Varrone, Kimberly Michelle Vaughn--I just found much of the material presented over two hours to be rather lackluster.

Asher, Davis, Murdoch and Vaughn were in the 106th Mainstage Revue, which I found a good bit better, though not as strong as Second City e.t.c.'s most recent revue or the still-running, all-female She The People.

So I know the comedic gifts of the Algorithm Nation cast are considerable, and beyond merely appreciating their efforts, there were some genuinely nice ideas.

I don't want to give away much, especially the best routines, but Murdoch, Varrone, Asher and Pope were part of a sketch in which two longstanding local TV personalities look back on their career, only to cringe at what was once deemed acceptable (but shouldn't have been).

Davis and Williams repeatedly paired up well, once as an African-American couple visiting "woke" white liberal neighbors (Asher & Varrone), and later as a father and young daughter, as the latter experiences hardships in an otherwise all-white school.

Certainly, these two skits broached on racism, and a couple others referenced President Trump, but I don't think anything hit hard enough regarding contemporary realities.

As we walked back to the train, I said to my friend--who also was disappointed by the show--that it felt as if some Second City bigwigs had mandated to tread lightly on Trump material, for fear of offending and/or alienating those who support him.

In a way this is understandable, as both blue and red patrons equal green, but comedy without chutzpah--especially amid these times--just feels flaccid.

Or, perhaps, obvious targets are considered too obvious, and while I would perceive such a seemingly astute cast could insightfully broach the mistreatment of blacks, women, immigrants, Muslims, etc., etc., etc., maybe such hot-topicality is considered taboo.

But even when the sextet onstage--all dressed in black--did reference gun violence and children being thrown into cages, it came off somewhat rote.

And unfunny.

Truly the best part of Algorithm Nation, or The Static Quo came when an audience member named Andrew was brought onstage.

His rapport, particularly with Varrone was charming, and suggests that a bit more crowd interaction might do this revue good.

If not actually adding Andrew on a permanent basis.

As noted above, going to Second City is always a delight, even just in seeing pictures of the famous alumni. And it's probably true that people who are now considered all-time pillars of comedy were in revues that missed the mark, as this one did.

Undeniably, making people laugh isn't easy, especially when coupled with trying to provide insights into a crazy world.

In pulling its punches in regards to the latter, the 107th Mainstage Revue of Second City Chicago didn't hit hard enough in attempting the former.

Or, in other words, despite estimable work by talented comedians, something about the algorithm just wasn't right. 

A Fine Revue: Second City e.t.c.'s 'Gaslight District' Finds Laughter in Truth, and Vice-Versa -- Chicago Comedy/Theater Review

Sketch Comedy Review

Gaslight District

The Second City e.t.c. 42nd Revue

Open Run

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After it had been about 10 years since I had seen anything at The Second City, the new revue under their "e.t.c." moniker marked my third visit to Chicago's hallowed self-producing comedy venue in the past 6 months.

I had previously seen and reviewed the mainstage revue, Dream Freaks Fall From Space, and an all-woman sketch show, She the People, both of which are still running. (Hyperlinks are to my reviews.)

Both those shows were enjoyable, and the obvious effort quite estimable, even if neither blew me away.

So it is with no disrespect to those two shows, their casts, writers and crews, that I say I found The Second City e.t.c.'s Gaslight District the best of the three.

As best I could ascertain, the six performer/writers in Gaslight District--Emily Fightmaster, Sayjal Joshi, Katie Kershaw, Andrew Knox, Alan Linic, Jasbir Singh Vasquez--have been as thoroughly trained and practiced as those in the mainstage revue.

And except for a vague suggestion that e.t.c. tends to be a bit edgier than mainstage, I couldn't determine anything that particularly earmarks this troupe/show vs. others. 

Although there was a little bit more improv incorporated than I recall from Dream Freaks... or She the People, this too was mainly a scripted, sketch comedy show that ran through numerous short vignettes, including some musical ones.

Coincidentally, within the past month, I had watched for the first time the 1944 Ingrid Bergman film, Gaslight, which saw her character's husband manipulating her into believing she was delusional.

This had given rise to the term "gaslighting," which Wikipedia describes as:

"A form of psychological abuse in which the victim is gradually manipulated into doubting his or her own sanity."

Without knowing why else this Gaslight District revue was so titled--some cities have a so-dubbed district, but not Chicago to my awareness--I'm not suggesting there was any overt connection to Gaslight or gaslighting.

But with several references to a certain current president and (indirectly) his beguiling of a sizable portion of the masses, plus the frequent use of an imagined "truth zone" onstage, well, it kind of fits.

Even more so than with most theatrical reviews, I feel I should be circumspect about the material, as surprise is often part of the LOL pleasure.

Yes, there are a few gags about Trump--and they work well--but some of the best skits were not only non-political, they were weirdly (in a good way) not very topical.

I found a piece about how a certain country has overtaken another to become the world's most despised to be rather inspired, and a skit spoofing a men's hair salon chain takes a wonderful left turn, led by Fightmaster and Knox.

Terrific too is a piece about an adult chaperone messed with by his charge of high schoolers during a hotel stay, and a musical ode is sung to a surprising but quite relevant subject.

All six cast members are excellent, with Linic, Kershaw and Joshi clearly being talented pros.

For his musicality, sly facial expressions and multi-linguistic, I found Vasquez to be a particular standout, and would have liked to have seen him do even a bit more in Gaslight District.

A teacher named Kate from Wisconsin was brought onstage from the audience for some improv bits, and also acclimated rather well.

That a couple of skits--including one that has Vasquez playing a man volunteering to be deported by ICE, with Joshi the agency newbie handling his case--wind up more poignant, even maddening, than funny, only adds to the adroitness of Gaslight District.

I'm not sure if I'll ever become a regular at Second City, and it'll obviously take awhile for new shows to hit their boards.

But even more than before, I can see why the venue is so venerated, and with the 42nd e.t.c. revue daring to hit a bit harder, it's nice to know such laughter can be found in truth.

And the other way around.

Revue Review: Second City's Talent-Rich 'Dream Freaks Fall From Space' Amuses, To An Extent

Theater / Comedy / Improv Review

Dream Freaks Fall From Space
106th Mainstage Revue
The Second City, Chicago
Thru May 31
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I think a lot of people think a lot of things are a lot funnier than I do.

I mean, I don’t want to believe that I’m a humorless grump, and I actually think laughing often is vital to living in today’s world.

Without suggesting that I’m particularly funny, I offer up puns, witticisms and wisecracks pretty much on a daily basis.

But while realizing that great comedy should spark new insights as much as loud guffaws, I very rarely LOL at anything.

I almost never watch Saturday Night Live these days, as I haven't found it to be great for years, save some occasional political impersonations.

Neither have many if any Mainstream American comedy movies of recent vintage much tickled my funny bone, and though I've seen and enjoyed many legendary stand-up comedians, very few have kept me constantly in stitches.

The fact that Steven Wright still consistently does may suggest that I'm drawn to a more unique type of comedian, but I've generally laughed more at humorous plays--including the recent The Legend of Georgia McBride and the ongoing Yasmina's Necklace--than at comedians or improv/sketch shows.

Nonetheless, I still believe comedy should be part of my live entertainment diet, but it has candidly been a rather small one.

So I was delighted to be invited to The Second City to review their 106th Mainstage Revue, titled Dream Freaks Fall From Space.

Which, in not knowing what that title is meant to reference, may reiterate that I could well be at fault for not loving the show, though I did enjoy much of the material, the six cast members and the overall experience.

In being admiringly deferential in lieu of profusely laudatory, I can perceive overdoing the Trump bashing, including in a revue's title, can come off as far too obvious and even trite.

Although...Tyler Davis' song insisting a potential paramour not have voted for the Donald, or must now express regret for that decision, was one of the show's clear highlights.

Each of the other writer/performers, adorned in white jumpsuits, had plenty of fine moments as well, whether in group sketches, smaller scenes or solo bits.

An oddly but enjoyably anachronistic Where's Waldo piece, featuring the consistently good Nate Varrone as the hard-to-find, cap-wearing cartoon figure, definitely made me laugh, and I found Tien Tran's song speculating that "Maybe your baby is gay" both amusing and astute.

There was a considerable amount of live music performed by the talented cast--also including Ryan Asher, Kelsey Kinney (the only veteran from a past mainstage revue) and Jeffrey Murdoch--and I also enjoyed a bit featuring the lip syncing of famed songs pertinent to particular characters, only to have others point out that the lyrics incorrectly matched the memories.

So certainly there were plenty of inspired moments over 2 hours of stage time, and not only isn't comedy universal-- Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune loved this revue--even for the most talented practitioners in the realms of sketch & improv, it's gotta be daunting to work in the shadows of Belushi, Ackroyd, Murray, Candy, Myers, Farley, Fey, Colbert, Carrell, etc., all still hanging around on the famed venue's walls.

While I have to be honest in my assessment that it was a fun night with appreciable efforts and some fine entertainment but well short of fantastic--and a friend alongside, who has taken improv classes and performed in various shows, neither was overly enthused--I certainly wouldn't dissuade anyone from taking in this show.

I hadn't been to The Second City for 10 years, which really has been too long, and I think this was only the second mainstage revue I've ever seen.

So I don't have much to compare it to, nor a good gauge for measuring the level of delight & insight provided vs. fair expectations.

I can easily imagine returning--perhaps for more of an improv show than a mostly pre-written revue--and perceive Second City to be one of Chicago's best options for date night.

Yet while I liked the experience, the performers and the beignets I ordered during Dream Freaks Fall From Space, the truth is I just didn't fall in love.