The Second City

I have been to the Second City Improv several times and really loved every show I’ve caught there. However, please note that this particular review is going to be in regards to their Second City Bloody Brunch event that they host monthly.
I found out about this event through Goldstar and bought a ticket to try this brunch that sounded like a whole lot of fun.
Once I got to the venue, I realized that this was no small event. The line was out of the door and it seemed like there were well over a couple of hundred people there. That very sight was discouraging for me as I think a dining event should be more intimate than that. Anyway, the brunch was supposed to start at 11am. We were in line till about 11:45am with a group of hungry, frustrated, and rightfully annoyed group of people. Like sheep we were then sent in batches to get our food from the buffet spread and afterwards, escorted into the seating area by hostesses.
Now, for the food — it was really, really good. There was a ton of options and each one was pretty delicious. There were scrambled eggs, a chicken and waffle bar, carved meats, and pastries, among others.
The brunch option included bottomless bloody marys and mimosas. HERE was the problem. The people who were serving the drinks were clearly not folks from the food industry but just students at the Second City’s comedy school. These folks were extremely unorganized and inefficient. They couldn’t keep up a proper pace and were taking eons to fill up the drinks. People were getting clearly irate as they had paid good money for this but were now feeling completely let down.
Anyway, as we sat down eating the delicious food and contemplating demanding a refund for the completely screwed over drink process (hardly anybody got more than one mimosa/​bloody mary considering this was supposed to be «unlimited»), the comedians took to the stage to start the comedy performance. The show was quite funny and the actors on stage were genuinely talented. But given how messy the rest of the organization of this event was, I won’t be returning here for the brunch option ever again.

Someone recommended this venue — saying the progams they usually host, are fantastic. I watched the «Fool Me Twice: Dejavu» great cast and great story concept and telling!
It was a really nice experience however, the seating themselves were so close I felt uncomfortable. Especially sitting there for so long — yes there were intermission but it did not mitigate the feeling of sitting in such close quarters. Also being a shorter person I had to constantly shift my position in order to see the stage better.
As for the show itself, the show was appropriately Rated R, had many adult themes but it was all in good fun :)
I would recommend visiting!

We placed Second City high on our list purely for the history of this club, having been the proving ground for many of our fave entertainers. It is located in the cool Old Town/​Lincoln Park area so if possible build in extra time to walk the neighborhood. We saw «Fool Me Twice, Deja Vu» which was a furious 90 minutes of sketch comedy from a talented troupe. They also did an encore improv segment. The room is small so there’s not a bad seat in the house. Arrive early as there are no assigned seats, at least in the platform area. You will get to know your neighbors because they are literally sitting smashed on your back or beside you. They do serve drinks and food.
My only complaint is that two $ 23 seats incur a whopping $ 12.50 in fees. For what? I printed the ticket with my labor, my paper, and my toner. All in all, we had fun and met some nice people. After the show go across the street to Old Town Ale House for an interesting experience. You might even see some of the SC cast.

This was a good night out to see a Chicago style show. I didn’t laugh as much as I thought I would but it was a good show. Lisa was amazing with her acting and singing. She ultimately was my fav and did a great job on every skit. Glad I made time to come and check it out.
You can buy any seat in this place, their all super close, and when I say super close I mean super close. Get super comfy next to your neighbor who is a stranger you don’t know.
If you can ask to sit somewhere near a table to provide you a little bit more space for you and your date/​friends. Avoid the back back back row! Their high top chairs with not table so it can get uncomfortable for 2+ hour show. The show will go on for a while and the staff won’t know when it ends.

We took in «Game Night», which is short form improv, my favorite. While the games were reasonably funny, I was surprised at how little improv was performed. It really was mostly playing the game show games. I really expected more from The Second City, but we were, at least, entertained.
The food was surprisingly good for club food. The chicken fingers were hot and tasty, the fries were pretty good, as was the hummus and pita bites. The pretzel knobs and mustard sauce were decent.
Overall, we had fun, but would probably better enjoy more of an improv format in one of their other shows.

Second City e.t.c.‘s Soul Brother, Where Art Thou?
Hilarious. Witty. Improv Comedy with a kick of real talk.
Absolutely loved my first time at The Second City. I got my friend and I tickets to go see their e.t.c. cast’s 39^th revue, and it was such a fantastic experience. While we sat towards the back of the venue, there really are no «bad seats» unless you have difficulty hearing from far away. The visuals and costumes were all absolutely on point, and service was good. Drinks here are comparable to high-​end restaurants and sky bars, so be ready if you plan on drinking (which is not required!)
For this revue, I was so happy to see such a diverse cast of comedians go through these sketches, They tackled social issues especially with how consumed we are now with technology. It definitely gave us the LOLs each time discussion about our phones came up. Each sketch would last 30 seconds to a few minutes, and would leave me wanting more and more.
I also want to add that as a person of color, I really appreciated all the pokes and jabs towards White America’s impression of marginalized folks. Take a seat and laugh, but recognize there’s a lot of truth to their message of what our society is like. White folks may get uncomfortable, but let it sink in before you dismiss the message behind some of these sketches.
If you’re visiting Chicago, seeing a Second City show is an absolute must! Buy your tickets online in advance to avoid waiting in more lines at the door.

Second City is definitely a place I will visit again. The comedy show I saw, Soul Brother, Where Art Thou, was hilarious. The sketches were clever and they all tied into each other in some way, whether someone said a line from the last sketch or a character came in from the previous sketch. This sketch was full of truth, heart and humor. They give you a bonus improv at the end of the show if you stay after and it’s hilarious.
Staff was very nice and accommodating. Great atmosphere, seating is tight but no matter where you sit, you can see and hear. The food and drinks are reasonable. Most comedy places have a minimum drink limit but Second City doesn’t.
I would highly recommend checking out a show if you like improv. Amazing talent!

The comedy for me was just ok. It’s mostly sketch comedy and at the end they incorporated some improv. The improv was a million times funnier than the sketch comedy. You can tell they are trying to make some kind of political statement and spend a lot of time bashing christians. The bit gets old after awhile.

We went to see this show thinking lets do something different and fun and we got tickets to see A Big Bright beautiful disaster in the Beat Lounge. This show was about 50 minutes –there was about 24 people there and we tried to give them a shot but there was not one skit me or my husband really thought was funny. It was like being in a high school drama class. We do give them credit for getting up there and acting but overall I would not ever recommend this to anyone. Sorry the girl and guy were both good actors but the program was brutal.

caught a show at this iconic place, birth home to the likes of Tina fey, john candy, James Belushi, Steve Carrell… pretty much 85% of all SNL alumni and current cast! wonderful efficient staff, free coat check, bar bites available. intimate with basically no bad seat in the house. they have different stages so in the likelihood that they sell out of your intended show, there is a high chance to catch another one that is sure to showcase many new talents and productions. great venue. can’t wait until the construction is completed.

I LOVE SECOND CITY. F*ing love it.
I took a 3 day improv intensive, which was phenomenal. It was three days from 10am-​4pm, with a lunch break. I can tell you that the time flies! Such a great experience, and definitely left me hungry for more. The other cool thing is that with your tuition, you get a free ticket to one of their shows. Since I was in town for the 3 days, I ended up seeing two shows (I paid for the other one): Fool Me Twice, Deja Vu, and All Star Improv. Both were great, high quality, remarkable, fun, entertaining. etc.
I came back again for my birthday and saw Soul Brother, Where Art Thou?, which is a revue. If you have not seen a show at Second City before, I think this one would be a great choice because it’s 2 parts scripted material (which includes some music/​singing, and music improv), and the 3^rd part is classical improv, riffing off of audience suggestions. So in this way, you get a little of everything.
The only reason that I can’t give it 5 stars is the way the seating and tables are arranged. It’s kind of like what I imagine being in a sardine tin might feel like. I have now seen a show in all three theaters, and they are all set up the same. Besides the seats being extremely close to each other, there are very small shared tables sporadically placed ((so if you’re wearing a great big puffy jacket, make sure to use the coat check!)). This means that if you do order drinks or food, you might be holding them in your lap if you’re not near a table. And if you are near a table, you’re sharing it.
A few tips:
If you are out of town, I highly recommend staying at Hotel Lincoln, a little less than 1 mile away — totally walkable to Second City, and really cool, cute, great customer service, etc.
Zanies is a stand up comedy club right around the corner. Because Second City offers shows as late as 10 or 11pm, you can easily see a show at Zanies, and then check out a show at Second City afterwards.
Plan to arrive 45minutes before the start of your show to get a good seat. They do have bar/​food service during that time.
You can also stop at Corcoran’s Grill and Pub and get a shot of Malort (and then make sure to get a photo of your #malortface

Soul brother, where art thou?
Loved the show. It was very connected with the times. My favorite set was the iPhone/​iPad coming to life.

We went to The Best of Second City. Loved it! I can now totally understand why The Second City is THE premeir sketch comedy venue in the country. Sure we all know their alumni, and the fact that The Second City basically led to Saturday Night Live.
The show was awesome, hilarious, poignant, and even sad in places. But this cast is really, really talented.
I didn’t try the food, but it seemed okay. Mostly fried. They did have an acceptable beer selection, which you all know is important to me. And a nice selection of other drinks too. Prices were higher than elsewhere, but I’m not surprised at that. The souvenir glass is actually pretty cool.
Seats are packed in. Packed. Plan to get friendly with your neighbors. Once the show starts, you kinda forget about it. But it is a little weird at the start. Please, I beg you, bathe and put on deodorant before going to a show.
The Second City is packed with history and tradition. The cast is amazing! I guarantee I will be back.

I have been to Second City before, but never actually wrote a review. I was lucky enough to attend on the night of their 56^th birthday. The talent in this place is amazing and impressive. Props all the way.
The place is cozy. Keep your big purses at home, if you can leave your jacket in the car, even better, and be prepared to touch the person next to you. I thought it was very warm in there as well. You will soon be laughing so hard you will not notice how close you are to the person next to you.
Great option for date night. I came as part of a work event, but note that the humor is dirty (which I happen to love). Its not everyone’s cup of tea, so keep the PGers at home.

12/​16/​2015 I attended my first ever show at The Second City. It was their 56^th birthday! Being my first time there I had no idea what to expect. The place is AWESOME and the sketch comedy was hilarious. These are not amateur actors, they are pro’s. I would def. recommend checking out the show if you are coming into Chicago or just need a nice date night! I’ll help you out with a few pointers:
1) Parking SUCKS in the area but there are plenty of parking garages around. The one next to the building is $ 16 for the first (2) hours and $ 22 for (3) hours which should be more then enough for the show.
**** Helpful hint if you’re cheap**** Are you an Xsport member? Take your ticket downstairs to Xsport and they will «validate» it and your parking will be free for 2 hours. Spend that extra $ 20 on BOOZE!
2) Dress comfortable and be prepared to socialize and mingle. The seats and tables are very close together. People are laughing and jumping back and you will «bump elbows» with neighbors. It’s all good. Everyone is very cool and you should be comfortable getting in between people and squeezing into spaces. Don’t wear your Sunday’s best and not want to touch anyone.
3) The show is not appropriate for kids. They might not have an age limit but you should have some limits for your kids. They talk about ALL kinds of funny things. lol.
4)They asked a few people for their phones and had a hilarious skit reading text messages and exploring Facebook. If you are a cheater, liar, thief, have side bit@^%es…etc…don’t give them your phone. lol
5) Not that it matters but the majority of the crowd was White… professional white. Very cool and open but they weren’t loud and ghetto at all. They seemed to be very open to multi cultural people like myself. It wasn’t awkward at all. They were actually my favorite kind of people… open minded, able to laugh at themselves and have a good time.
I hope this helps! Enjoy the show! This is one of only a few places I’ve given 5 stars too.

Mainstage show — really terrific. Unless you’re easily offended… by anything, really because nothing’s off limits… then definitely take in a performance. Yes the drinks are expensive… and most annoyingly you will be crammed so close together (sides, back and front) that you’ll wonder how you’ll fare if there’s a fire, but when the show begins it doesn’t seem to matter so much.

This place was so much fun! The coolest comedy club/​improv theater I have ever been to! It has been around for over 50 years and has quite the history. Apparently this place is where a ton of SNL players and famous funny people including Steve Carrell, Tina Fey, Jim Belushi, Chris Farley, and Dan Aykroyd (just to name a few) got their start. There are several different stages with different shows happening at the same time. We had floor seats– approx $ 36 and they were great! There was a bar nearby and also someone taking your order if you didn’t want to get up. Prices for drinks were about what you would expect. The show was freaking hilarious and a must do if in Chicago!

A MUST when you’re in Chicago. The Second City is an improv club home to many SNL alum/​actors/​actresses in comedy. I went with a group for my sister’s Bachelorette party and it was just so great. The cast gets the audience involved — the jokes are plentiful and the cast really puts in their all to give a stellar show.
Other notes: there is a bar/​food. The servers are so friendly.
It’s a small venue (which makes it fun!) so be sure to get tickets ahead!

I hadn’t been to an improv show in a couple of years, but still walked in the door with high expectations of peeing my pants from laughing so hard. Although I didn’t soil myself, I still had a blast! It was refreshing to see some of the social taboos and issues played out and made fun of on stage. The improv with some of the audience was by far my favorite part of the show.
If you’re thinking of going, I’d suggest you buy your ticket ahead of time! I went on a Wednesday night thinking it wouldn’t be sold out… turns out we replaced a couple that didn’t show on a sold out night.

If you love laughing, and are impressed with quit whit… Then it’s 100% necessary you go to a SECOND CITY SHOW! You won’t leave disappointed, I promise!

Some of the most well known comedians such as Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, and other SNL casts have performed or started their careers at the Second City. So I had a really high expectation when I first brought tickets for «The Second City’s Fast, Loud & Funny»; however, I got an email notification stating that my show was cancelled due to scheduling issues and the box office switched my show to «The Second City: Fully Loaded» instead.
Sadly, the show wasn’t as funny as I thought.
Price: $ 26 per ticket + $ 4.5 service fee + $ 1.5 other fee
The will call process was a bit confusing. When I originally arrived at the entrance located on W. North Ave, one of the guy redirected me to the OTHER entrance on N. Wells St. to pick up will call tickets. So I basically had to make a 5-​minutes side trip just to pick up will call tickets. Once I walked back to the entrance located on W. North Ave, I took this out of service escalator and walked all the way up to the 3^rd floor to the UP Comedy Club (affiliated with the Second City).
The comedy show lasted two hours. It mostly showcased various 30 second ~ 5 minutes sketches made famous by previous Second City alumni as well as few random improv. Personally, I thought there were only few bright moments and I just had few giggles. Honestly, this simply wasn’t my type of comedy. I think these comedians will probably be a lot funnier if they just do free-​style improv instead of just following sketches that others have done before. With that being said, I really like some of the casts (especially Alan Linic and Liz Reuss — both were REALLY good).
If I do get a second chance, I would avoid «The Second City: Fully Loaded» and probably go see the Mainstage Revue.

I’ve been here three times and there is a reason I keep coming back. I saw #Dateme with my girlfriend last Friday and we both loved the show. The improv was spectacular and you could tell that the actors put in a lot of effort with the show. Each act was engaging, hilarious, and the crew did an awesome job of integrating graphics/​video with each scene.
As a student in Design School we are always told the value of telling stories. Second City does an amazing job of captivating the audience. I found myself anxiously waiting for each line as the transitions between characters were so smooth and seamless. I could not recommend this place enough. Please do yourself a favor and attend one of their shows :). Oh the sweet potato fries are also ones to die for!

I’ve been to 2^nd city three times and like all sketch comedy, it is hit or miss, but mostly hit. There are some very talented comedians, and you are sure to have a good time.
Of course, the food and drinks are a bit undewhelminhg, but I think of this as a great predinner show.
Reservations are easy enough to get. Book a few days in advance, and make sure to include your group size. They will do their best to optimize the seating for you.
The skits themselves are relatively safe. There is cursing but nothing is terribly edgy. I would say most shows are pretty pg but younger kids won’t appreciate the humor.
Come here for a great start to a night and see some local talent.

Show: Panic on Cloud 9
I learned the term: Dadchelor, haha.
Never have I laughed consistently for 2 hours. So hilarious to watch these folks perform. Glad we got tickets for this!
One of my friends mentioned a 11pm show to here and I wasn’t sure if I’d be awake… when I walked in I was slightly half asleep. We walked like 8 miles that day, so my body by 11pm was telling me to go to bed. (We were vising Chicago)
Buuutttttt as soon as the show started, the performances were so well done I was wide awake laughing.
2 hours flew by and before I knew it, the performances were done. I highly recommend people to come here if they’re visiting Chicago. Worth your money.
Keep in mind — if you’re super conservative/​easily offended. I’m not sure if you’d enjoy this. This show is more for folks who enjoy humor, don’t mind the funny gestures, and etc.
Space wise — I was fine. I had leg room and etc. The servers were good at not attracting attention and came at the right times for drinks and etc.
Get here early for good seating!

No gym? No problem. Get an ab workout tonight at Second City. My friend recommended seeing at least one show while I was in town and boy, was it worth the hassle to get the tickets. I booked the last ticket available online for a showing of their 103^rd Mainstage Revue: Panic on Cloud 9, and had to show up in person at 5pm on the day of the show at the box office to get on the waitlist for last minute available tickets. The protocol is then to show up again 15 min before the show time to confirm whether tickets are indeed free. Luckily, I was first in line and we ended up getting upgraded to two floor seats rather than platform, which is cheaper but further away from the action. All the employees I interacted with were super friendly and helpful, not in an overly perky way but with the genuine satisfaction of working for a legendary stage.
The mainstage box office and theater are accessed up the stairs next to the (24 hr) Starbucks. You don’t get assigned seats until you arrive with your tickets (which you can print at the box office), so it’s probably better to arrive earlier. The seating is pretty cramped, even more so than a movie theater, and the tables are cocktail sized, so be careful with your pitchers. There’s a bar outside the theater, but you’ll be limited to table service once you go inside. Don’t get mad at your kind waiter whispering during the show as s/​he is only trying to get you a beer.
The show itself was hilarious and satirized all sorts of current events. The disappearance of giant vehicles, the rise and fall of superheroes, ineptitude of our Secret Service… Guns and babies and ebola, oh my! All with limited props but great depth of acting. My only disappointment was that there was only one improv sketch involving an audience member that was a little awkward, but my stomach was probably relieved for the 5 minute break from laughing.
This show had only two acts, and if you do need to use the bathroom during intermission, you get to see some more of the mall-​like venue that is the real Second City. Ask a staff member for directions since it’s a roundabout route involving an escalator.

I thought I would laugh so hard that all my make-​up would run off. We came to celebrate my friends birthday and saw Panic on Cloud 9. The skits lacked substance. Neither one of us found anything really funny. We were surprised that this place has the legacy it does.
We saw several people yawning. Another uncomfortable aspect is how they arrange the seats. You have to share a very tiny table with others. And when I say tiny, I mean tiny, only a few coffee mugs or a few beers fit on it and you’re practically on the lap of the person next to you and on the back of the person in front of you. Very odd set-​up.
But back to the show… it reminded me of Saturday Night Live when they went through their horrible years of not being funny, not quite hitting the mark. I found the guide on the river boat tour a whole lot funnier.

Second City is a must-​see when you come to Chicago. Although I should note it is a bit of a hike from the downtown Chicago area, but it is near the Lincoln Park Zoo and Chicago History Museum area.
Went to the «Best of Second City» show on ⁴⁄₂₅ and it was laugh out loud funny. Of course, not every sketch is hysterical but it’s just like SNL — hit or miss type comedy.
Tickets cost $ 28 each with taxes and there is no two-​drink minimum like most comedy shows force. Well worth the money.
They have several shows on different stages at various times so if the show you wanted to see is sold out, check out another!