Hope College will welcome back the legendary comedy troupe, The Second City, for one performance on Friday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the Knickerbocker Theatre.
The Chicago-based group will perform some of the best sketches, songs, and improvisations from The Second City's 45-plus-year history in the new production, "One Nation, Under Blog."
Founded in 1959, The Second City has become the premier training ground for the comedy world's best and brightest. The troupe's alumni list reads like a who's who of American comedy, and includes Mike Nichols, Elaine May, Alan Arkin, Joan Rivers, Robert Klein, Peter Boyle, Harold Ramis, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, George Wendt, Martin Short, John Candy, Bonnie Hunt, Tim Meadows, Chris Farley, Mike Myers, Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Julia Louise-Dreyfus, Horatio Sanz, Ryan Stiles, and countless others.
The troupe's performances not only offer audiences a chance to see comedy stars in the making, but also the opportunity to see absolutely hilarious satire and cutting-edge improvisation. The television show "Saturday Night Live" was created with members of The Second City, and a performance by the group features similar topics and skits. If your parents asked you not to speak about it at the dinner table, chances are it will be made fun of in an evening with The Second City.
The Second City's 2002 and 2006 appearances at the Knickerbocker Theatre sold out, so those interested in attending are encouraged to buy tickets soon. More than half of the tickets available for the show are already sold. Tickets are $17 for regular admission and $12 for senior citizens, and may be obtained at the ticket office in the college's DeVos Fieldhouse. The ticket office is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at (616) 395-7890.
More information may be obtained online at www.hope.edu/arts.
The DeVos Fieldhouse is located at 222 Fairbanks Ave., between Ninth and 11th streets. The Knickerbocker Theatre is located at 86 E. Eighth St.