The stage at Chicago’s Second City has been a training ground for the soon-to-be greats of comedy for half a century — a fact not lost on those who stand on it today. “I’m kind of an improv geek, so walking into this building still thrills me,” says Abby McEnany, a member of the legendary troupe’s touring company, from Second City’s Windy City headquarters. “That sounds really kiss-ass-y, but I swear it’s true.”
McEnany, a San Francisco native who moved to Chicago to study history before catching the comedy bug, is one member of the six-person cast who will celebrate Second City’s 50th anniversary with a two-week run at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. The show is a concise history of the company, featuring sketches written by alumni like Alan Arkin, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Stephen Colbert and Tina Fey.
“Whenever you do a Second City show, it’s always awesome and the material is there,” McEnany says.
“We’re known for political satire, but we look a lot at relationships — familial relationships, couple relationships, workplace relationships — so everyone can identify with some part of the show.”
If you go
Second City
Through July 25
Suzanne Roberts Theatre
Broad and Lombard streets
$20-$41, 215-985-0420
www.philadelphiatheatre company.org
