By Sharon Eberson
You’d think that with the words It’s A Wonderful Life in the title, there’d be at least one reference to Indiana PA’s Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey. But the title also includes “wild” and “wacky,” and this being The Second City, that means nothing is off-limits.
And for nearly two hours on Wednesday, including intermission, wild and wacky ruled the night.
We were transported not to Bedford Falls but to the Before Times when the comedy troupe’s visits to Pittsburgh meant filling the O’Reilly Theater with laughter.
The Christmas-themed show wasn’t all ho ho ho. There was a little yo yo yo and a lot of goofing and spoofing, too. But mostly, the touring company of the famous Chicago troupe kept it playful and pulled a little bit of everything out of their considerable bag of topics.
Holiday stress? Check. Naughty or nice? Check. Parents vs. kids? Check. Race relations? Check. Mall shopping? Check. Fart joke? Check that off, too.
Absent, and for this, I believe everyone in the masked crowd was grateful, was a mention of the pandemic or politicians.
The only time the subject of politics arose at all was from an audience suggestion for an improv dinner party: “Football fan” Julia Morales taking a knee and “secret Republican” Andrew Bouluc, unable to control himself, yelling, “No!”
That got a big guffaw from the crowd and from me.
Second City’s comedy was sometimes dark, rarely subtle, but there was enough of a grab bag to tickle most everyone’s idea of funny.
The quintet of improv/sketch artists quickly learned that the way to Pittsburghers’ hearts is through the local landmark famous for putting french fries on sandwiches.
Troupe member Jenelle Cheyne asked for a location from the crowd and was perplexed by the loudest answer from the audience.
“Rimanti? Brimanti Brothers?” she questioned.
The response came in near-perfect harmony: “It starts with a ‘P.!'”
It didn’t matter if we were being set up. When a hint led Bolduc to arrive at the right answer (and a running gag), it was a trigger to laugh at our own collective joke.
The troupe also had me in a comic lesson in judging a book by its cover when we were asked to pick who from of a lineup of elves was not really an elf. I won’t spoil the joke, but it was a “funny because it’s true” moment, led by Tim Metzler.
Metzler was often the “dad” of the group, opening the show in a sketch about a holiday vacation getting off to a rocky start. In that sketch, Rich Alfonso was introduced to us as “grandpa,” showing off some nifty moves. In fact, elements of dance were incorporated throughout, and music and lighting were a key to the show’s fast-paced flow.
Not every sketch or improv moment was served up so sweetly as “Brimanti’s” for a Pittsburgh audience, but even when the material took a dark turn, the mood was light and the need for holiday-season laughs strong.
Not in preparation for this, but earlier this week, I watched an all-star Zoom reading of It’s A Wonderful Life, with Ted Lasso himself, Jason Sudeikis, as George Bailey, and characters played by Mandy Patinkin, Mark Hamill, Rosario Dawson, and more, to benefit the Ed Asner Family Center.
It was weird seeing all those famous faces in boxes on my laptop screen, but still wonderful.
And it was live, just like the recent TV version of “Annie” and “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” sitcom presentations.
But all were still on my screen.
At the O’Reilly Theater for The Second City, I could mix with members of the crowd in the third-floor rehearsal space, repurposed as a socially distanced bar area.
Just being in a theater with others who likewise are anticipating the “wild, wacky” possibilities of a live Second City show, one where the objective is laughter, feels like an early holiday gift.
It’s a Wild, Wacky, Wonderful Life continues at the O’Reilly Theater, Downtown, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: CulturalDistrict.org/SECONDCITY or 412-316-1600.
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Reviews
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