cover image The Second City Unscripted: Revolution and Revelation at the World-Famous Comedy Theater

The Second City Unscripted: Revolution and Revelation at the World-Famous Comedy Theater

Mike Thomas. Villard Books, $26 (272pp) ISBN 978-0-345-51422-6

For 50 years, Chicago's Second City Theater has been the training ground for legendary comedians. From John Belushi to Stephen Colbert, many of America and Canada's finest comic talents have honed their skills on Second City's stage, and this collection of interviews brings together comedians and behind-the-scenes players to bare the secrets of the comedy laboratory where improv was birthed by lesser-known genius Del Close. From the egos, parties and conflicts to the camaraderie and familial ties, the world of Second City is brought together deftly through the testimony of its inhabitants, filling in readers curious about show business and comedy history as well as individual comedians (also including Joan Collins, Alan Arkin, Bill Murray, Eugene Levy, Bonnie Hunt, Tina Fey, Amy Sedaris, and others). Though occasionally meandering, Thomas corrals his subjects' testimony in a historical framework paralleling the larger baby boomer narrative, progressing from fringe revolutionaries to institutional stalwarts. Testimony is funny, sentimental and hopeful, making this a winning collection for any fan of comedy's last half-century.