Playwright: The cast. At: The Second City e.t.c., 1608 N. Wells St. (use North Avenue entrance). Tickets: 1-312-337-3992; www.SecondCity.com; $23-$28. Runs through: open run
If Saturday Night Live raids Chicago for talent, as it has several times, it need look no further than the cast of We're All in This Room Together. As astutely directed by Ryan Bernier in his e.t.c. debut, the three young men and three young women mesh together as a fine comedy ensemble, willing to share with each other, yet each with a distinct personality. Their talent makes this a laugh-out-loud show, for there's nothing especially clever about the material itself or the format.
Revues at The Second City are developed through improvisation in front of an audience, with the best bits written down and polished to create a script. This particular revue mixes sketches, blackouts (one-line jokes) and songs in a tried-and-true formula, rather than employing the more challenging long-form improvisation in which The Second City occasionally indulges.
Even if not "especially clever," the show is clever enough with two dozen scenes, songs and blackouts canvassing targets such as dating, the club scene, class reunions, alcohol-fueled pick-ups, parenting and politics. There are several audience-interactive opportunities which the cast handles with taste and aplomb, chief among these being an excellent gay wedding scene ending with the reminder that "times change but love stays the same." Indeed, if the show has a theme at all, it's the idea of plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose (the more things change, the more they stay the same), with a half-dozen scenes exploring retro material (1980s club scene) or aging/looking back. Anyone 10 or more years out of high school will relate to the class reunion scene.
Other bull's-eyes include a brilliant jab at Wrigleyville ("a mecca for people who don't give a shit"), a song for the three women ("So Hard to be a Lady Nowadays") and a genuinely satirical jab at what passes for TV news, certainly the show's most savage bit (and too true to be good).
In a cast of equals, one notes Michael Lerner's Jim Carrey-like vocal exaggerations, lanky Mike Kosinski's skillful and rubbery physical comedy, lithe Tawny Newsome's tap dance (which I think is a first for The Second City), Aidy Bryant's knowing looks and interactive skills, Dana Quercioli's all-around versatility and Chris Witaske's good-looking guy who's really a perv. Musical director Jesse Case definitely is the seventh cast member as he propels this revue with skillful backing and editing, and with original music. The show has been running for several months, so the cast is fast, loose and riffing with each other, to the obvious enjoyment of themselves and the audience.
Finally, Sarah Ross's nifty little set provides some New Orleans-style wrought-iron and a raised platform at one side, both of which are different flourishes for The Second City.