Stage: Second City Scriptless

Laughs unscripted

By Barbara Scherzer

Second City leads the pack as a provider of comedic actors, writers and directors. Established in Chicago in 1959, the troupe set up shop in Las Vegas about three years ago. In its new show that opened in late May, the troupe works for the first time without a net. Featuring new games, songs and skits, Second City Scriptless is an uncensored and joyful jaunt with the masters of improv comedy.

After everyone is told to turn off their pagers, lava lamps and ticker tape machines, the games begin. The audience is asked to input several literary styles. On this night Shakespeare, porn magazine and choose your own adventure rule. Next, the "scriptless" troupe unfolds the tale of a "Little Girl in the Woods" for the first and final time. The laughs are generated as the moderator repeatedly points to each cast member at irregular intervals, causing the story to unexpectedly shift.

In the next number, Second City alumna Kay Cannon and Michael Hartnett are delightfully bent. Whenever the onstage host sounds a bell, the pair must instantly change their freewheeling patter to the opposite meaning. For example: "I have a cat" morphs into "I have a dog" before settling on "I have syphilis."

Thanks to more suggestions, the scene is now set at a "cocked and loaded" divorce party for Hartnett. He exits the stage while the rest of the cast is given new celebrity identities by the audience. After returning, Hartnett's task is to discover who is partying hearty with him. Cannon is a hoot as J. Lo, who has difficulty getting her ass through the door. Also good is Damian Mace as a wired Keith Richards and Jason Sudeikis is a cool Kobe Bryant.

Many of the laugh lines are direct audience imports. When asked to supply a pick-up line, someone offered up this beauty: "I have the f, the c, and the k. All I need is you."

Later, a request for accents rendered this short list: French, German and Wookiee (think Star Wars).

The cast--composed of veteran Second City members and talent under development from the troupe's training center--proves that it is adept at flying without a set script. Whether rapping or singing purposefully off key, their improv agility amazes. If you prefer to interact with the cast, request a front-row seat. Filled with adult language and situations, from any vantage point Second City Scriptless soars.