*** It is cold outside! Winter is here! The holidays are memories! Warm weather is months away ( 6 weeks according to Phil)! What we need now is laughter. There is no better place to get this than Second City, and right now they are doing a special comedy show featuring alum that also helps to celebrate Black History Month (2/1-3/1). Second City has gathered some of their funny people under the direction of Anthony LeBlanc to bring to Chicago audiences “We Always Bounce Black: A Black Excellence Comedy Revue” now onstage at the UP Comedy Club.Six very talented and quite funny performers do their thing in a two hour ( two acts with a 15 minute intermission) revue that will bring laughter to all. While the show is geared for the Black population, most other groups will get it. I think back to the days of the Yiddish theater in Chicago. While many of the audience members were not Jewish, they got most of the jokes. I have always been one to pick up on humor from ethnic groups, so we had no problem. Nothing went over our heads, but the African-Americans in the audience got it better!
I know that the performers do some very hectic on and off bits, but if they were to ear body mikes, I think the show might even be funnier. Many audience members were talking and not paying attention. Punch lines become lost due to this , which is hard on the audience members and the actors as well. There is lots of audience participation and the performers do a great job of including them.
The cast of players: Spencer Hodges, Kalen Jackson, Wanjiku Kairu, Brittani Yawn, Terrance Lamonte,jr. and Daryn Robinson are terrific. They play off each other with just the right touch and when they play with the audience, they are delightful. The music is handled by Tilliski Ramey ( music director). While the show is designed to help celebrate Black History Month, the entire audience will have a ball.
A lot of the show is geared on a TV netwerk, BEN/Black Excellence Network as they do sit-com situations, quiz shows and more. Most of the skits were terrific, but I did find the “Think About” sequence a little static, and far too long. I loved the “Say The Name” bit where the questions were quite easy ( except for one) and the audience truly got involved. All in all, a fun evening of laughter that will definitely take your mind off the weather, politics, the economy and everything in between. You will laugh and have some fun.
230 West North Avenue Chicago third floor UP Comedy at The Second City
“We Always Bounce Black: A Black Excellence Comedy Revue ” will continue thru – March 29th with performances on:
Fridays:To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “We Always Bounce Black: A Black Excellence Comedy Revue”.”.
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