“Soul Brother, Where Art Thou ?”

[rating=3]Second City and all of its stages are “destination spots” for great comedy. When one walks into either the Second City on Wells Street or its newer venues in Pipers Alley, they know they are leaving their day outside and heading into merriment and “release”. One goes to these theaters/clubs to be entertained and to laugh their A– off. Mission accomplished! The opening last night at Second City E.T.C., located in Piper’s Alley, on the second floor is called “Soul Brother, Where Art Thou?”. Two hours of fun for the audience and the performers.

Do not let the title of their 39th revue fool you or scare you away. I am not sure if it means anything at all. The show is, as all others, a comic look at some portions of our lives. This romp explores high technology, online dating, reflection (this is one of those get the audience involved sketches), golf, racial tension, memory (they use 9-11 for this one and while there are a few cute lines, I would prefer this event not being treated as a comedy topic), and much much more.

Second City is of course, a training ground as well as a school and theatrical and comedy venue. Many famous comics have risen to the top of their profession here and the six talented people who wrote and performed this show are on the rise as well.  Carisa Barreca, Tim Ryder,Eddie Mujica (the veterans at E.T.C.) and newcomers, Rashawn Nadine Scott, Lisa Beasley and Scott Morehead wrote and perform this two hours of fun, with a 15 minute break, otherwise known as intermission.

While the show does contain some “improv”, it is what one must call a scripted show, but one that allows for the six talented performers to alter the script based on their audience and the response (or lack of) on the fly. Often, when they go off the script, we get to truly see the talents of the performers. Directed by Anthony LeBlanc with music by Alex Kilmer and video design by Greg Mulvey, “Soul Brother, Where Art Thou?” is a fast based, high energy romp that will have you in hysterics during some of the bits. They look at George Lucas, teleporting, golf and how a trio handles going from hole to hole with conversation and other stuff, life’s risks, Disney employees/the dogs of Disney, a baby growing to adulthood and beyond and a host of others. I told you, the title doesn’t mean a thing, but I can tell you the evening will take you away from the tension of your day and have you enjoying the evening,along with a drink or two and the entire audience will be your new friends for two hours.

The 39th Revue at E.T.C., “Soul Brother, Where Art Though?” is an open run with performances as follows:

Thursdays  8 p.m.

Fridays and Saturdays  8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Sundays at 7 p.m.

Tickets start at $23 and are purchased/reserved by calling 312-337-3992 or online at www.SecondCity.com

Second City E.T.C. is located at 230 West North Avenue (although you can enter from Wells ) on the second floor of Piper’s Alley. They have some great food on their new menu so you can enjoy your drink even more. Parking is available in the garage next door on North Avenue, on the street and if you want, you can park over at Treasure Island Grocery, just down the street.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-up and click at “Soul Brother, here Art Thou?”.