Review: 'In iPod We Trust'
Second City feels right at home in Novi
Second City Detroit returned to the stage – albeit a new stage in Novi – last week after a way-too-long hiatus and reminded us why this ten-year-old troupe has long been a local audience pleaser: They know how to be funny!
"In iPod We Trust" is SCD's 26th comedy revue, and like the prior two-dozen shows, it has its share of clunkers – just like pretty much every improvisational comedy that's ever existed. But the bright spots far outweigh the dull, which bodes well for a successful maiden voyage at its new home in the 'burbs.
When word first spread that SCD was heading to Novi, doomsayers were quick to predict the demise of Detroit-based political humor from the troupe's new shows. Why that was, I'll never understand, since SCD's lifeblood is topical comedy. And "iPod" surely proves that while you CAN take the troupe out of the city, you can't take the city out of the troupe. For sprinkled throughout the show are plenty of references to the city and its hip-hop mayor. (The funniest is the skit "8 Mile Eyes" that suggests a new career path for some of the roads' more notorious night workers.)
If nothing else, the troupe's trek northwestward has only broadened its base for local humor. For not only is Detroit the butt of the improvisers' skewers, so too is suburbia. "Nobody Walks in Novi," a skit about the city's urban planners, is probably the best effort; another about the Novi Wild Cats volley ball team is less so.
Equally tackled by improvisers Margaret Exner, Jenny Hagel, Shawn Handlon, Quintin Hicks, Tiffany Jones and Topher Owen are issues of national importance.
Same-sex marriage comes under the microscope in a funny scene featuring Exner and Hagel as a lesbian couple, one of whom wants to get married – and has already been making elaborate wedding plans – while the other wants no part of it.
The war in Iraq suffers momentary friendly fire and Blockbuster's new late return policy also gets roasted, but it's America's ever-lowering expectations – celebrated in the laugh-filled musical number, "It's the Greatest Day of All Time" – that best tickles the funny bone.
In-between the more topical moments are scenes of general lunacy.
While each of the talented performers has a moment to shine, it's newcomer Hagel who seems to stand out amongst the improvisers. The actress excels discussing her love/hate relationship with Sprint PCS (with Hicks as the customer service rep), and her quick-wittedness is evident playing a high-spirited young waitress at a theme restaurant (with Hicks and Handlon). And she excels with Exner – another gifted improviser – as two bloggers responding to the online blatherings of a third.
There's plenty more comedy packed into the show's 75-minute, intermission-free timeframe. But for me, two things about "iPod" particularly stand out: its lack of both juvenile (and narrow-focused) humor and pointless uses of the "f" word!
In past SCD reviews I've roasted the troupe for crafting shows that few outside the Bevis and Butthead generation could possibly find funny. And, I've also lectured, their indiscriminate and overuse of the "f" word does nothing but reduce its effectiveness. Happily, neither happens in this production.
Instead, directors Ron West and Matt Hovde continue the trend towards a more accessible production that began in 2003 with "Woodward to Your Mutha." What they and the cast/writers have crafted is an adult comedy that covers a wide range of subjects and tastes – and no one performer dominates the stage.
Welcome back, Second City!
"In iPod We Trust" Staged every Wed.-Sun. at The Second City, 42705 Grand River Avenue, Novi. $15-$20. 248-348-4448. http://www.secondcity.com.
The Bottom Line: Second City returns with a funny show in a cool, new venue!
Preview: 'One Wilde Night'
Get your tickets: The 2005 Wilde Awards hits the stage Sep. 1
The long-awaited – and much-anticipated – theatrical event of the year is finally upon us: The 2005 Wilde Awards hits the stage of the Historic Gem Theatre Sept. 1!
It will surely be "One Wilde Night," as luminaries from Michigan's professional theater community come together to celebrate the best work of the 2004/05 season.
The evening – a mix between the Tony Awards and The People's Choice Awards, or as one local theater executive recently put it, "It's like our version of the Golden Globes" – begins with a cocktail and hors d'oeuvre reception and ends a few hours later with a dessert afterglow. Music will be provided by T-bone Experience.
But it's what happens in-between that has the town talking!
"It'll be one heck of a show," promises BTL co-publisher Susan Horowitz.
Not only will the theater community learn which shows have been deemed Detroit's favorites – and which actors get the nod as best performers of the season – they'll also be entertained by some of the town's most creative artists. And once again, The Actors' Company will open the program with yet another spectacular production number.
It's a 90-minute, multi-media extravaganza, Horowitz says, that will also feature several guest presenters, two special awards and plenty of surprises. "It's not called 'One Wilde Night' for nothing, you know," she said.
A total of 104 professional productions were reviewed this past season – more than any other major newspaper in the state. In all, 45 productions at 19 different venues received at least one nomination, and 57 actors were singled out for their performances.
Nominees in 18 categories were announced this past June. Readers of BTL and the theatergoing public were invited to vote for their favorite productions in six categories. Once again, a record number of ballots were received.
Winners in the 12 performance categories were chosen by BTL theater critics Donald V. Calamia and John Quinn.
Invitations to the event were mailed to the nominees and theater executives earlier this month.
A limited number of seats to "One Wilde Night" are also available to the general public at $25 per person.
"It's the perfect evening to mingle with the actors, directors and theater executives whose work we've all admired for many years," Horowitz said. "If you love theater, you'll especially love this 'One Wilde Night.'"
Reservations for "One Wilde Night" are required. For ticket information, call Matthew Barton at 248-615-7003, ext. 27 by Aug. 29.
