Chicago is well known for having some pretty great comedy schools and shows, and I have been wanting to check one out for a long time. I chose The Second City, Chicago's best known comedy club where many famous comedians and stars of Saturday Night Live got their start. Some of my favorite notable Second City alumni are:Mike Myers (SNL, Wayne's World, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Shrek)
Chris Farley (SNL, Tommy Boy, Black Sheep)
Jane Lynch (Glee, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind)
Steve Carell (The Daily Show, The Office, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Little Miss Sunshine)
Stephen Colbert (The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Strangers with Candy, Exit 57)
Tina Fey (SNL, Mean Girls, Baby Mama, 30 Rock)
Amy Poehler (SNL, Baby Mama, Parks and Recreation,Upright Citizen's Brigade)
I saw a show called Spoiler Alert: Everybody Dies and I think it was one of the funniest shows I have ever seen. From the first minute you can see the actors are truly talented and really love what they are doing. This show was a series of sketches and some improv and it dealt with many current issues. It even touched on some sensitive subjects like religion and race, but they always hovered on that line and never really crossed it. Well maybe they did a little...but everyone laughed and didn't seem too offended.
Here is the synopsis of the show: In the blockbuster of human life, we all know the outcome – no spoiler alert needed. In spite of this inevitable ending, we continue to live our lives, find joy and understand the world around us. Sometimes our path leads us to save the world and sometimes our path is to simply remind our husband where they left their keys – it's what you make of it and how you deal with it that matters. From cold feet on your wedding day to the comfort of viewing the comic misadventures of others on Reality TV, Spoiler Alert: Everybody Dies reminds us that in the end, we are all in this together.
I came into the theatre right as the show was beginning and was seated in the second row. I hate sitting close to the stage for fear of being heckled or pulled up there to make an ass out of myself, but thankfully this show wasn't like that. When I lived in LA I took a few acting classes and many times we worked on our improv skills. I think it is one of the most important skills you can learn not only in acting, but in your day to day socializing. Isn't life all about improvising? That being said, I was pretty awful at it! I would get so nervous in class each time it was my turn for my scene I would almost pass out. I discovered acting really wasn't my thing and certainly not improv. However I did make a guest appearance on The Soup! The Soup is a show on E! that basically makes fun of people on reality shows plus much much more. I was on a silly reality show in 2005 called The Starlet...and my amazing acting skills were made fun of by Joel McHale himself! I don't blame them...it was pretty bad. Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself but at least I tried!
But funny really does run in my family! My cousin Carissa is involved with improv groups in Dallas-Ft. Worth called Monkey Junk and Four Day Weekend. She is naturally hilarious and belongs on The Second City stage! I look forward to going back and seeing another show when she comes to visit me in Chicago. They have many to choose from! And who knows, maybe I will even try an improv class again one of these days.
I came into the theatre right as the show was beginning and was seated in the second row. I hate sitting close to the stage for fear of being heckled or pulled up there to make an ass out of myself, but thankfully this show wasn't like that. When I lived in LA I took a few acting classes and many times we worked on our improv skills. I think it is one of the most important skills you can learn not only in acting, but in your day to day socializing. Isn't life all about improvising? That being said, I was pretty awful at it! I would get so nervous in class each time it was my turn for my scene I would almost pass out. I discovered acting really wasn't my thing and certainly not improv. However I did make a guest appearance on The Soup! The Soup is a show on E! that basically makes fun of people on reality shows plus much much more. I was on a silly reality show in 2005 called The Starlet...and my amazing acting skills were made fun of by Joel McHale himself! I don't blame them...it was pretty bad. Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself but at least I tried!
But funny really does run in my family! My cousin Carissa is involved with improv groups in Dallas-Ft. Worth called Monkey Junk and Four Day Weekend. She is naturally hilarious and belongs on The Second City stage! I look forward to going back and seeing another show when she comes to visit me in Chicago. They have many to choose from! And who knows, maybe I will even try an improv class again one of these days.
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