Second City’s 49th e.t.c. revue starts with the company welcoming first timers to the famed comedy theater — a rather sweet idea and a signal that “Chaos Theory of Everything” marks something of a welcome return to Second City’s longstanding ethos of letting the audience drive as much of the show as possible.
Famous alums are ticked off, along with the observation that absolutely none of them will be here tonight. “We’ll do our best,” the cast members sing as they toddle off backstage to start their show.
Sweet. Humble, too. A fine, if increasingly rare, asset to any improviser or sketch-comedy meister. Also notable about the members of this cast: they’re a little older than average and three of them are parents. That’s been very unusual over the years on Wells Street and it broadens the perspective of the comedy. At one point, Meghan Babbe plays an exasperated mother who tells her son that she just intends to start over with his little brother. Says it all, really.
Two newcomers, Spencer Hodges (who started at Second City as a server and bartender) and Max Thomas (who mostly has done stand-up comedy in his career) join the solid returning crew of Babbe, Jenelle Cheyne, Javid Iqbal and Tim Metzler. Both of them show promise and have charm, although Thomas had yet to fully find his way into the show on opening night.
All of that is by way of noting that I think this company will end up doing more ambitious and confident shows, either together or individually, than “Chaos Theory of Everything.” This very genial revue struggles to find its rhythm, especially in the first half. The show takes its own title a tad too literally at first, as distinct from really building an architecture upon which it can fall back. There’s too much improv too early, and the show doesn’t have a really solid Act 1 closer, or an Act 2 closer, for that matter, at least before a final moment wherein Tina Fey almost makes a surprise “appearance.” But some good stuff can be found in the center.
To its credit, “Chaos” is not afraid to say the names Trump (yes, it still can be funny) and Vance (or in this case, JD “Gollum” Vance). And early in the show, they take on what you might call the manosphere podcast phenomenon — too tentatively in my view, given the massive sudden influence of the Joe Rogans of this world. The same goes for material that draws on the smackdown world, now a part of everyday political reality in these United States.
Still, lots of recent Second City revues have rested safely in the world of personal identity and history and it’s good to see these guys go for more of what’s in the news, especially in Chicago, and do so with a diversity of points of view. Extra points, too, for mentioning former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the word “musical” in the same sentence.
Some of the show, frankly, is a bit baffling, including a weirdly surreal piece involving talking trees. But then that’s why they call it the Second City e.t.c.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
cjones5@chicagotribune.com
Review: “Chaos Theory of Everything” (3 stars)
When: Open run
Where: Second City e.t.c. Stage, 1608 N. Wells St. in Piper’s Alley
Running time: 2 hours
Tickets: $19.59 (Thursdays) to $76 at 312-337-3992 and www.secondcity.com