The Second City to Perform at UPB

Not many will be left out from being made fun of during The Second City’s show later this month at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.

At least not politicians, celebrities and significant others.

The Second City’s Fair & Unbalanced show will start at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18, in the Bromeley Family Theater in Blaisdell Hall. Cost is $20 to $24 for the public and $8 to $10 for students. The world’s premier comedy club’s performance is part of the university’s Prism series.

“No one knows what the performance will be like exactly, but it will be witty, fun, entertaining and never the same way twice,” said Randy Mayes, director of arts programming at Pitt-Bradford. “Many skits are where the framework of the plot is set, but the ultimate resolution is improvised. Seeing where the cast takes it is always exciting. There will also be some audience participation in each show, so people should realize there will probably be calls for volunteers at some point.”

The approximate two-hour show’s lineup includes a medley of classic scenes, songs and improvisational. Some scenes were written by the troupe’s famous alumni, including Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Stephen Colbert and Tina Fey.

Five cast members will take to the stage in the performance. Sandy Marshall, a director with The Second City, said the performance focuses on political and social satire.

“You are really looking at tomorrow’s stars today,” Marshall said.

Mayes said, “Every generation of The Second City ensembles launches some of its cast into stardom, and I am sure this group will be the same. People should come to the show and take note of who is in it so they can tell people they knew so-and-so before they became a superstar. I guarantee it will happen. We just don’t know who it will be yet, but it will be fun to speculate after we watch the show.”

The New York Times hailed The Second City as “a temple of satire.” Vanity Fair magazine called it “Improv’s Harvard.”

“They are the absolute tops in their field,” Mayes said. “Everyone else tries to copy them, but the rest are just vying for the runner-up slot. The Second City is simply the top comedy ensemble in North America, and they have the alumni to prove it.”

The Second City has taken to the stage for more than a half a century. The troupe performs in Chicago, Toronto, Hollywood and across the country. Other famous alumni include John and Jim Belushi, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mike Myers, John Candy, Chris Farley, Joan Rivers, Alan Arkin, Eugene Levy, Dan Akroyd, Ed Asner, Rick Moranis, Amy Poehler and Martin Short.

For more information, visit www.secondcity.com.

Tickets are available by leaving a message at the Box Office at (814) 362-5113.