Paramount hosts Second City
By Randall Mielke For Sun-Times Media May 12, 2011 12:30PM
(left to right) Chris Witaske, Mark Piebenga, Kate Duffy, Lyndsay Hailey, Tim Stoltenberg Photo credit: Michael Brosilow
The Second City: ‘Fair & Unbalanced’
♦ 8 p.m. May 21
♦ Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora
♦ Tickets, $25.50
♦ (630) 896-6666
paramountaurora.com
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Updated: August 25, 2011 12:33AM
Chicago is known for such remarkable things as deep dish pizza, Chicago-style hot dogs and Oprah Winfrey. But in the world of improvisational comedy, according to Chris Witaske, a member of The Second City touring company, mastering long-form improvisation is the test of true genius.
“The long-form improvisation is doing 15 minutes from just one suggestion from the audience,” said Witaske, who appears in The Second City’s “Fair & Unbalanced” on May 21 at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora. “You strive to get good at the long form. The true talent in Chicago is being well versed in the long form of improvisational comedy.
“In long form,” Witaske continued, “you can have an ‘on’ night when you kill it and then an ‘off’ night when you dive bomb and you are performing to silence.”
For the “Fair & Unbalanced” show at the Paramount, the long form improvisation will be part of the third act.
“There are two acts of Second City ‘Best of…’ sketches written by famous alumni,” said Witaske about the “Fair & Unbalanced“ show. “Last year Second City toured with a ‘50th Anniversary’ show that spanned the entire 50 years of the group since 1959. This “Best of..” show is more updated. Throughout the show there is some improvisation, but the third act is all improvisation with suggestions from the audience.”
The Second City improvisational-based comedy empire has been making people laugh by way of satirical entertainment for more than 50 years. The Second City’s “Fair & Unbalanced” takes comic pleasure in the foibles of politicians, celebrities and even significant others.
Sketches originally written and performed for Second City’s legendary theaters in Chicago and Toronto are used in The Second City’s “Fair & Unbalanced” show, which is performed by five cast members and a musical director/piano player.
“We have 50 years of Second City scenes to draw from,” said Witaske about the show. “Second City has a staff of producers who watch the sketches and decide what we will do, but we all do have a voice. There is some original material written by us. We have maybe three or four original scenes in the first two acts.”
Witaske gets great satisfaction from making people laugh.
“There is nothing better,” he said. “You think you are funny and people also think you are funny.”
He also finds the collaboration of fellow comedians exhilarating.
“When you are with a group for a while it becomes like well-oiled machinery and you know each other’s sensibilities and who they are,” said Witaske, who has performed with Second City for about one year. “It is like a good basketball team. You get ‘in the zone’ when you perform. It is a true ensemble process.”
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