Improv is ‘Second City’s’ infrastructure

Friday, July 25, 2003 | 8:40 a.m.

What: "The Second City."

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Tuesdays; additional shows 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; dark Wednesdays.

Where: Flamingo Las Vegas' Bugsy's Celebrity Theatre.

Tickets: $35.44.

Information: (702) 733-3333.

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****

Improvisation requires a special combination of talents.

Performers must not only have a sense of humor and impeccable comic timing, they must also possess a broad range of knowledge on a variety of subjects, ranging from politics to religion to social issues to current events.

And they must be able to draw on that information instantaneously -- and make it funny.

Being consistently funny day-in and day-out, year after year, is no easy task. But after two years and more than 1,000 performances at the Flamingo Las Vegas, "The Second City" remains in peak form.

Original cast members Seamus McCarthy and Jason Sudeikis and co-stars Joe Kelly, Holly Walker and Kay Cannon provide a fast-paced evening of entertainment that keeps audiences wondering what to expect next.

Sometimes, even the cast members seem surprised by what they say. Doing improv is walking a tightrope of comedy without a net.

Performing rehearsed routines provides some degree of security, but when the cast ventures into the uncharted terrain of real improv -- making up scenes as they go along -- the performers never know if they are going to crash or soar.

Take for example one recent performance in which they focused on a male in the audience, asking him his name, where he was from, what he enjoyed doing most and other questions, intending to use the information to improvise a song.

Nine times out of 10 the routine works smoothly, but the 10th time the road is bumpy.

In this case, the subject, who owned an auto repair shop in Sonoma, Calif., was extremely shy, and trying to get him to speak was like pulling teeth.

Eventually, they got the information they wanted and sang the song, but the bit seemed to drag on forever. Although there were humorous moments, it hardly seemed worth the effort.

But then a scene in which the cast improvised a skit using several suggestions from the audience (the cheesiest pickup line, a verse from a song, a physical action, such as scratching your crotch) was classic.

That is the great thing about improv. One night a scene may hit a home run, the next it strikes out. Sometimes, the audience balks.

And you never see the same show twice.

In its third year in Las Vegas, the improv company began in Chicago in 1959, and a few of its cast members, such as Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray and the late John Belushi, were among the earliest cast members on "Saturday Night Live."

Other Second City alumni include Alan Arkin, Fred Willard, Joan Rivers, Robert Klein, Harold Ramis, John Candy, Betty Thomas, Shelley Long, Bonnie Hunt, Chris Farley and Martin Short.

"The Second City" has five permanent homes, including theaters in Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Toronto and now Las Vegas.

With such a rich source for comedic routines, when the production first began in Vegas in March 2001, 75 percent of the performances were scripted using classic skits from the past.

There have been a number of important changes since.

Beginning June 11, the local production was largely revamped and now relies heavily on scenes created by the cast.

Also, the original nine-person cast has been trimmed to five.

Under the direction of Marc Warzecha, an original member of the Las Vegas troupe, "The Second City" has lost none of the edge that has made it popular since it was conceived.

The production continues to take shots at politicians, world leaders and celebrities.

But now there is a greater emphasis on the Las Vegas scene than there was two years ago.

Celine Dion, "Thunder From Down Under" and other local productions and performers are in the comedic cross hairs.

There's enough fodder in Vegas to keep "The Second City" improv team in ammunition for years to come.