Laughing it Up in Chicago
Chicago is home to more than just deep-dish pizza and corrupt politicians. Indeed, it is the home of one of the greatest bastions of comedy the U.S. has to offer – The Second City. Having taught and showcased legions of improv-based comics over the course of their “50 years of funny,” Second City boasts a training center and a performance venue that many consider to be the mecca of comedy. Alumni include Alan Arkin, Robert Klein, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Mike Myers, Tina Fey, Steve Carell, and Stephen Colbert.
Still, it’s not the only funny business in town. The Chicago Theatre hosts big-name comedians aplenty throughout the calendar year. On the upcoming slate are Bill Maher, Chris Tucker, Bob Newhart, and Sinbad.
Bill Maher, known primarily as host of the sardonic Politically Incorrect, will call it as he sees it on July 23. An infamous marijuana proponent, Maher never fails to address the issue in his act. Such was the case when he performed in Boulder earlier this year.
A critic noted, “Maher dropped a few pot jokes early on; he suggested that the Democrats might find more success if they took on the legalization of marijuana as a ‘wedge issue,’ the way the right has chosen abortion and gay marriage as issues to fire up their base.
“Still, Maher had nearly as much criticism (though not as much contempt) for today’s Democratic party as he did for the Republicans and their ‘inbred country cousins, the Tea-Baggers.’ The Democratic symbol is a D, he explained, because that’s the grade you get when you’re barely passing.”
Explaining the nation’s debt, Maher remarked, “Let me illustrate for you how much 14.26 trillion dollars really is. Take the value of your house, and add 14.26 trillion dollars.”
After Maher delights Chicago, more funny men follow. Chicago gets Colin Quinn’s Long Story Short at the Broadway Playhouse on August 24. On September 16, Chris Tucker comes to town before the kinder, gentler Bob Newhart gets his turn on October 22. Sinbad takes the Chicago Theatre stage on November 12, the same night that David Sedaris appears at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre.
The last time Sedaris was in the Windy City, he read from his Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary book. A reviewer of the evening remarked, “…preposterous irreverence is far from his only trademark. Sedaris is no one-trick-pony, but rather a writer of remarkable and restrained depth. …Sedaris takes the act of fine-tuning his writing and creates an intimate evening that is extremely entertaining and truly captivating.”
With a whole other twist on the comedy game is Chicago’s Comedysportz Theatre. As cited on their website, “It’s not stand-up comedy about sports… it’s improv comedy played as a sport!”
Their calendar includes Smashed: The Improvised Bachelorette Party and Impress These Apes!, which is an eight-week talent competition. At the end, the winner is glorified as the Least Pitiful Human.
It seems, in Chicago, there’s pretty much always something to laugh about or, at the very least, someone to laugh at.