Dearly beloved, we gather at The Second City – not to MOURN the state of Michigan, but to LAUGH at it. And trust me: You will, because the troupe's latest revue, "Night of Living Debt," finds all sorts of humor in our state's – and country's – darkest hour.
From high gas prices to pink-slipped autoworkers, life in the mitten state has never been grimmer. Still, director Mark Levenson, music director John Edwartowski and their five creative performers find much to poke fun of in our fears. So much so, that Brett Guennel, Quintin Hicks, Jaime Moyer, Tara Nida and Tim Robinson storm the stage and rarely stop to take a breath.
I expected nothing less, of course; the quality of shows at The Second City has been steadily rising since producing artistic director Nate DuFort took the reins only one short year ago. And with a high laugh ratio and very few dull spots, "Debt" is one of the slickest, freshest and funniest revues at The Second City in years.
After all, how could it go wrong with Robinson turning in one of his best performances ever – especially as a lecherous, evil robot at Chucky Cheese? Or Hicks behind a puppet teddy bear who's having an inter-species love affair with Moyer? Or Guennel as NBC "Dateline" reporter Chris Hansen who finds all sorts of dirt on our national politicians? (Moyer as Hilary is a hoot!)
The musical numbers featuring the entire cast are equally inspired, especially "I Am An Auto Worker" early in the show, and, later, "The Ancient Pirate Lullaby" – although following the pirates' advice MIGHT be a bit risky in today's workplace!
And don't be surprised if you're called upon to answer some American history questions when the border patrol finds some suspected illegal aliens lurking in the crowd.
'Night of the Living Debt'
The Second City, 42705 Grand River Ave., Novi. Every Wed.-Sun. Tickets: $15-$20. For information: 248-348-4448 or http://www.secondcity.com.
