TEISHA MCELFRESH
Special to The Leader
Last Friday night, The Second City Touring Group kicked off Family Weekend by bringing the phrase “laughter is the best medicine” to Fredonia. As the weather is starting to cool off and summer is behind us, the troupe’s famous improvisation and anecdotal jokes were the perfect remedy to cure those fall blues.
This has been an anticipated event by the campus community, providing proud visiting parents and their college-aged kids a chance to bond through a night of laughter.
According to the Second City website, The Second City Touring Troupe opened its doors in 1959 and has been a stepping stone for those who want to make it in show business.
The troupe has been home to many different SNL alumni, including John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner and Tina Fey. The troupe is now one of the most highly sought after comedy groups in the United States, with its unique sketch and improv scenes that speak to the humor of every generation.
The group seeks to include diversity in their improv, with members of the LGBTQ community, those of color and minorities all being represented.
The cast on Friday night consisted of Alison Banowsky, E.J. Cameron, Mark Campbell, Katie Kershaw, Saurabh Pande, Jordan Savusa and Amy Thompson.
The event kicked off with a take on the modern-day millennial generation, with terms such as gluten-free, online dating sites such as Tinder and Christian Mingle and the impacts of today’s congress being poked fun at.
The troupe then began their well-known on-the-spot improvisation with suggestions from the audience, taken throughout the evening. The first suggestions were that of a teacher-student, an airplane and a bubble. The clan of seven then showed off their talents by creating scenes with each suggestion, the airplane being a crowd favorite.
Other suggestions throughout the night were Donald Trump, vacation and opera, with a “freeze” improv skit.
Many important topics also were addressed throughout the night, such as hookup culture and feminism.
The group gave the audience what it promised through skits such as Brunch, where three working women gathered together and dramatized their stories on getting engaged.
“It’s only a Wednesday,” exclaimed Kershaw, as she gave her story on how she was tricked into going to the morgue to be proposed to.
Another crowd favorite during the evening was the mixtape skit, in which an audience member named Justine was pulled on stage with Banowsky, Kershaw and Thompson in their roles as engaged women. Cameron then stepped in and created mixtapes out of words from Justine, such as “camp counselor,” “Ferrari” and “Dame Judi Dench.”
The audience roared with laughter as Pande came on to the scene as a policeman, with one liners such as, “It’s 2017, why do you have a hand crank window?”
The troupe then broke out in song, creating a dance about Justine which received audience applause. The show ended with a skit revolving around the new world, with ideas being thrown out such as Universal Healthcare and equal pay for men and women.
Some more ideas that brought laughs were “no more cutting donuts in half; eat the whole donut,” and “no more crocs.”
Many Fredonia students came out to support the event and to get away from the stress of exams and deadlines.
“I came out to the event tonight to enjoy a night with my family,” said Danielle Jacobs, a sophomore biology major.
One major hit with the students was the privilege skit, which was funny but also addressed an important issue facing the United States today, which is that of stereotyping a person based on their gender or race.
“I thought overall it was funny but also had important hidden messages,” said Sam Schwartz, a sophomore liberal arts major.
As the troupe took a bow, they received a warm exit from the audience.
Those who didn’t get a chance to catch the event will have plenty more, as the comedy group tours all over the country with live shows every night in places such as Hollywood. The next stop for the cure will be at State College, PA on Nov. 3.