Displaying items by tag: second city

Second City’s Don’t Quit Your Daydream is a dream you won’t want to wake up from. I gotta say this show brought me to tears… of laughter. Once the lights dim, you are welcomed with a groovy dance opening and then dive into back-to-back comedy sketches. This show captures all those ridiculous thoughts one could have in a daydream and conveys them in a series of hilarious skits.

Don’t Quit Your Daydream is written and performed by Andy Bolduc, Kiley Fitzgerald, Claire McFadden, Evan Mills, Julia Morales, and Jordan Stafford and directed by Carisa Barreca. This brilliant six-member ensemble plays a variety of characters throughout the show. Some characters include high school students, an angel, a loofa, imaginary friends, a “cool” nun, and an evil villain named Snakewart. All the comedians are amazing performers and are able to radically change their persona from skit to skit. The cast is perfect for this show and has some major wow moments in their execution.

One stand-out performer is Evan Mills who has been working at Second City since 2018. Mills keeps you on your toes as you wait for him to deliver his clever punchlines and funny reactions. He brings a multi-talented performance that includes singing a song about the thoughts that keep him up at night, dancing with his gay crush at prom, and improv as a not-so-famous background actor. During the show, I heard one crowd member say, “Oh my god, he’s hilarious!”

Another comedian that kept the crowd rolling was Andy Bolduc. Bolduc is a natural on the stage and often plays as the privileged white guy or bizarre characters like a brother who is dating his imaginary friend, Flip Flop. He’s convincing in his act and often reminds you of that one weird kid from school. His lines, delivery, and body language fully embrace each role and leave you wanting more.

 Don’t Quit Your Day Dream’s production was flawless. The lights, music, sound effects, and stage setup were seamlessly pieced together. The transitions between sketches happened in the blink of an eye and kept the audience fully engaged throughout the duration of the show. All the seats in the club offered a great viewing experience and a chance to get picked on by the cast.

Each skit in Don’t Quit Your Daydream is unique with a comedic twist. The dream-like storylines take you on a journey to the gates of Black Heaven, an awkward high school prom, a flawed murder mystery scene, and many more. Each sketch has a sense of silly magic, leaving you with childlike wonder. Plus, you get to hear a few corny dad jokes sprinkled throughout the show. But it’s not all jokes. You also get to hear the comedians sing their original songs, watch them show off their moves in a synchronized dance, and test their skills with improv as they engage the crowd. It’s safe to say this Second City show takes sketch comedy to a whole new level.

The Second City comedy club is conveniently located in the Old Town neighborhood inside Piper’s Alley Mall. This area offers many great restaurants that are superb for grabbing a bite to eat before the show. Don’t Quit Your Daydream is held in the mainstage theater with small tables and chairs and a large stage. Second City offers in-theater dining that includes small bites and a wide selection of drinks.

Don’t Quit Your Daydream has a two-hour run time with a quick 15-minute intermission. This summer show runs Tuesdays-Thursdays at 8pm; Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm and 10pm; Sundays at 7pm starting June 7, 2023. Tickets range from $39-$94. Doors open 45 minutes prior to showtime.

I definitely recommend seeing this show, just leave the kids at home since this one is Rated R. Make sure to buy your tickets fast, many shows are selling out! Purchase your tickets online today.

With six women onstage pulling no punches and taking no shit – like The Vagina Monologues, if it were freaking hilarious – She the People is the show we need right now. Written, designed, and performed by the women of The Second City, these funny and talented actresses use their wits and comedy chops to send up sexism in advertising, politics, and pop culture.

With sketches ranging from 10 seconds to 10 minutes, She the People parodies all kinds of situations in which women regularly find themselves. A lady in a parking lot is cat-called and, hit with a sudden burst of pink light and romantic music, turns around to face her verbal assaulter, instantly in love. A group of single female wedding-goers slow-motion fight for the thrown bouquet to Mozart's Lacrimosa. A businesswoman gives a boardroom presentation in a dinosaur costume, irritated that her colleagues are focusing on what she's wearing instead of her ideas: "If Bob came up here dressed as a coelurosaurian theropod from the Cretaceous Period, nobody would bat an eye!" I bet if Bob grabbed people by the pussy, too, he would be let off the hook. 

This is a refreshingly feminist show, giving women the space to share their experiences without a devil's advocate constantly undermining them. On the other side of the coin, the show doesn't shy away from critiquing postmodern feminism as well. A scene comes to mind of a group of twenty-somethings out to brunch discussing social issues only to constantly get distracted by, "Mimooooosaaaaas!" 

Beyond that, She the People fearlessly takes on male-dominated politics – a roomful of all-male politicians sanction laws on female healthcare while giggling at the mention of "boobs" – the sugarcoating of women in media – "I'm a woman in a maxi pad commercial, and I'm going to the emergency room because there's some blue Windex stuff coming out of me," – and systematic racism – a group of friends play a board game called "Privilege"; guess which girl gets five tokens for getting into the same Ivy League school as her parents and which gets zero tokens for getting detained at the airport for no reason.

So, grab your friends, male and female alike, grab a drink, and enjoy two hours of woke comedy. If you're a man and bring your girlfriend or wife to this show, she will appreciate you, not only because of the sweet date idea, but because she identifies with those women onstage, and if you hear them and understand them, you've heard and understood her.

She the People is playing at Second City's Up Comedy Club Thursdays through Sundays until April 1st. Tickets can be purchased at the box office at North & Wells or on the Second City website.