By Christina Amoroso PLAY Writer
Over the course of just one hour, witness Beethoven and Mozart duke it out in a freestyle rap competition, sympathize with a man who claims to have been “clown-napped” and subjected to “drunken clown debauchery” and laugh at the craziness of a drug dealer who’s so corporate he carries around company stress balls and has his own personal human resources department.
Welcome to Now Fear This, the newest sketch comedy that opened at Donny’s Skybox Theatre at Second City on Oct. 20. Written by Peter Krinke, Matt Pagano, Joshua Hanson, Mike McKeown and Lance Nicholls, and directed by McKeown and Nicholls, the show cleverly and effortlessly blends absurdity, wittiness and sarcasm.
Described in a press release as “a sketch comedy revue about the things you don’t even realize you should be worried about,” the show lives up to its description. The skits range from poking fun at America’s political landscape to the symbols that represent the raunchy aspects of pop culture, with undertones that tell the audience why it should be afraid of some of these things – or maybe even embarrassed by them.
One particularly memorable scene pokes fun at government surveillance by exaggerating the degree to which Americans – and wannabe Americans – are watched. A government agent spies on everything a particular hopeful citizen does – right down to what he buys at the supermarket – and asks him about why he once switched from Coke to Pepsi.
“Your lack of cola brand loyalty,” the agent says, “is un-American.”
“Girls Gone Mild,” another scene in the show, mocks the rise of raunch culture that has been perfectly symbolized by Joe Francis’ “Girls Gone Wild” empire. The “video,” instead of depicting wasted college girls making out with each other while on summer vacation, shows ladylike young women reading books and studying but who dream of being out there whoring it up.
“Can you at least call us sluts?” begs one of the girls when she’s told to read.
Some of the other scenes aren’t as entertaining, but they are mainly few and far between. One sketch about a tambourine-playing jazz musician could have been completely forgettable if it hadn’t dragged on for too long – or if it hadn’t reappeared later in the show.
Other scenes in the show border on the ridiculous. One such sketch takes place in what is seemingly a senior citizen’s home – but the elderly who live here are for sale. An otherwise sane-looking woman wants to buy a senior citizen to have around the house for her kids. When one of the men starts to flirt with her, she is receptive at first and considers buying him – until he begins to hump her leg. Such scenes seem to exist purely to surprise or shock the audience, but then you remember it’s just comedy.
Although the show won’t be Second City’s funniest or most memorable production, it is time and money well spent if you are looking for some late-night entertainment and do not want to pay the usual $24 for the club’s weekend Chicago Mainstage performances.
Now Fear This is currently playing at Donny’s Skybox Theatre, 1608 N. Wells St., through Nov. 17. Show times are Fridays at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for students and can be purchased online at www.secondcity.com/?id=theatres/chicago/donny/schedule. You can also call the box office at (312) 337-3992 for tickets and information.
Medill sophomore Christina Amoroso is the PLAY theater editor. She can be reached at [email protected].
