When it comes to comedy, few names are as evocative as Second City. It’s a name that began with the original clubs in Chicago and Toronto, and later another opened in Los Angeles, and now the company’s laughs can be heard on the high seas on selected Norwegian Cruise Line ships.
And then there are troupes that hit the road and tour.
Every so often, one of the touring companies drops by central Arkansas and hangs around for a week or two, doing shows that consist of some of their tried-and-true routines of sketch comedy, songs, scenes and improvisations, which seem to sometimes incorporate commentaries on Arkansas and Little Rock and various public figures hereabouts.
No doubt Arkansas’ impending elections as well as its most famous political married couple, the Clintons, might get mentioned in some of the Second City skits that are under development. One of the six comedians in the touring company confirmed it could happen.
“We do take note of who’s who and what’s what in the area,” says cast member Scott Morehead, who, as fate would have it, hails from Clinton, Iowa. “I’ve never been to Little Rock before, well, except for driving through, that is. I had to get to Texas, where we did shows and I ate a lot of barbecue and gained 10 pounds. Now I’m hearing that there’s some famous barbecue in and around Little Rock.”
Morehead has been on Second City’s road schedule since February 2013, and before that, he plied his trade on Norwegian’s cruise ships, which he fondly recalls.
“That was just as much fun as you might imagine,” he says with a laugh, “with stops in the Virgin Islands and elsewhere in the Caribbean. And making it even greater, it was the winter when Chicago was having what was termed ‘a snow apocalypse,’ with people abandoning their cars and I was working on my tan instead.”
Though cruising for a living was fun for a while, Morehead admits he prefers his current comedy adventures, where he encounters the various landscapes of the United States rather than riding the waves.
“I enjoy seeing lots of places while making people laugh,” he says. “We just got back from Niagara Falls, for instance, which was a place I’d never seen while I was growing up in Clinton, on the Mississippi River in Iowa.”
As a youngster, Morehead was a fan of comedians Steve Martin and the late Chris Farley.
Morehead’s cohorts are Adam Peacock, Asher Perlman, Liz Reuss, Marlena Rodriguez and Sarah Shook.
Second City Touring Company alumni include Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Amy Poehler, Bill Murray and Jason Sudeikis.
The Rep has numerous special events associated with the Second City shows, among which are:
From noon to 1 p.m. today there will be a panel discussion in Sturgis Hall at the Clinton School of Public Service, 1200 President Clinton Ave. The Rep’s producing artistic director Bob Hupp will host the cast in a discussion of improvisational comedy. Call the Clinton School at (501) 683-5239 or email publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu to reserve seating.
From 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Girls Night Out with Fringe clothing will be held, sponsored by Inviting Arkansas. For the first hour, champagne and sweets will be available in Foster’s Lounge at the Rep, followed by shopping Fringe fashions, including jewelry, scarves and sunglasses.
From 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday Brew HaHa will be held, sponsored by Sync Weekly, with pizza and brews in the Rep’s main lobby.
From 6 to 7 p.m. May 6, Night Out with The Point 94.1 will be held, at which patrons can mix and mingle with the on-air talent of the radio station in Foster’s Lounge.
From 6 to 7 p.m. May 7, a Singles Mix and Mingle will be held.
May 8, Cidra Night with Stella Artois, sponsored by Arkansas Times, will be held to introduce Cidra, a new cider variety from Stella Artois.
Second City’s Happily Ever Laughter Tour
7 p.m. today through Thursday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 7 p.m. Sunday, through May 10; Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Sixth and Main streets, Little Rock
Tickets: $35 for 7 p.m. shows; $30 for 9:30 p.m. shows ($25 for season subscribers for all shows, all seats)
(501) 378-0405
therep.org/attend
Style, Pages 29 on 04/29/2014