Arts & Entertainment
Second City’s New Revue Brings Teamwork, Sex and Plenty of Weirdness to the Mainstage: Review
Adisa Williams, Laurel Krabacher, Hannah Ingle, Andy Bolduc, Jordan Stafford and Adonis Holmes in The Second City’s “The Devil is in the Detours”. (Timothy M. Schmidt, courtesy of The Second City)
Promising weird sex from the start, the cast of the new show at Second City delivers funny takes on this and other tantalizing topics. Yes, the 112th mainstage revue is as horny as a cicada.
It’s a nimble move in today’s heated cultural climate. Joking about sex is less likely to inflame a crowd than joking about politics. Wisecracks about butt cracks don’t target either side of the political divide and probably won’t rouse the rabble.
Sex aside, the performers delve into the zeitgeist in a deft manner — by having puppets do the talking, or by railing about censors only to be bleeped mid-rant.
There’s a political skit where the bad guy isn’t this candidate or that one, but the sleazy moneyman who corrupts everyone.
The show is aptly titled “The Devil is in the Detours.” Scenes cruise along with solid laughs and then take a turn no one sees coming, because it is just so nutty.
With her gaggle of giggle-inducing voices, Hannah Ingle steers into a couple of these unexpected detours. As the host of “Let’s Sell Houses,” she had the audience in stitches — and then things got existentially weird. And her portrayal of the moon, who literally turns the tide on men who profess to love her, is sheer lunar lunacy.
Elsewhere, Muppet-like puppets carp about capitalism, creating distance between the performers and their politics. They get their digs in, but some punches are pulled before anyone gets hurt. Other topics never come up; you wouldn’t guess there was anything going on with presidential politics or the Supreme Court.
Adisa Williams, left, and Andy Bolduc in The Second City’s “The Devil is in the Detours”. (Timothy M. Schmidt, courtesy of The Second City)
Camaraderie is a hallmark of the cast. The team seems to enjoy each other’s company, and it’s contagious. Adisa Williams plays well with others and has wit and energy to burn. Andy Bolduc shines, and his wildlife rescue sketch is a hoot. (Without giving away too much, the rescue involves T-shirt cannons.)
Jordan Stafford is game and funny, even when playing a baby accused of being a pervert. Adonis Holmes brings gusto to every role, including a man whose lover disturbs his sleep to ask about zombies. Laurel Krabacher has an all-in crazy edge, and she is a fine teammate. Krabacher is either having a lot of fun up there, or she’s really good at faking it.
The improv portions of the evening — song topics and an improvised prom — offered solid hits but no home runs. The best at-bat came from Williams with an inspired bit based on an audience member’s suggestion about late night emails from the office. Williams plays like a future all-star.
Other sketches could use pruning, but that’s to be expected on opening night. And if this reviewer is a little tired of the profane putdown used as a punchline, well, like Auto-Tune, it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
Anyway, the best moments aren’t the easy laughs. The highlights are absurdities and deviations from the expected path. It’s not quite a Detour-de-force, but it’s an unexpected trip to a happy place of weird sex and wired performers.
“The Devil is in the Detours” began an open run on the mainstage at The Second City, 1616 N. Wells St.
