For 66 years, Second City has set the standard for sketch comedy in Chicago and beyond. Its Mainstage shows are rooted in the theater’s long-perfected formula—a two-hour mix of political satire with clever character pieces and a healthy dose of absurdity, united under a zany banner like Do the Right Thing, But No Worries If Not (2022) or Sexual Perversity Among the Buffalo (1978). This Too Shall Slap, which opened Thursday night, is Second City’s 113th mainstage revue and quite possibly the silliest one yet.
From the moment each cast member introduces themselves via self-deprecating gags in the opening sketch, their unrelenting affability is on full display and never disappears over the course of 28 sketches, some wrapping in under 30 seconds and others extending to seven or eight minutes. Those longer sketches manage to achieve what is typically an impossible feat for sketch comedy—not a single one wears out its welcome or feels unnecessarily stretched for the sake of filling time.
Impeccably directed by Jen Ellison (who helmed the first-ever Mainstage revue at Second City’s New York location last year), This Too Shall Slap’s six performers include four veterans who featured in Chicago’s last Mainstage revue, The Devil is in the Detours (Adonis Holmes, Hannah Ingle, Jordan Stafford, and Adisa “Di” Williams), and two fresh faces (Leila Gorstein and Bill Letz). Each one is outgoing, outrageous, and outstanding, and their chemistry makes the show a joy to watch.
Jordan Stafford. Photo by Timothy M. Schmidt.
Holmes shines as a strange school nurse whose default diagnosis is a bottle of Gatorade, and is the highlight of a fantastic ensemble sketch centered around a contentious game of musical chairs. Later in the show, his brief Jesus portrayal makes for one of the biggest laughs of the night. He also features heavily in the Janet Jackson homage “Dictator Nation,” a star-making turn for Williams, who shows off her range in a charming sketch in which a bizarre play date with two friends (Letz and Stafford) leads to tension between the trio and an exasperated father (Holmes) checking in on the awkward dynamic.
Gorman is the centerpiece of two wildly different but hilarious character pieces, starring as a buff gym rat grunting through a workout, and the meditation coordinator on a corporate retreat, whose haunting mantra of “Salesfooooooorce” is a cross between a ghost and Melania Trump. Letz doesn’t miss a beat in an audience participation sketch about a podcaster’s therapy session, playfully razzing the audience member for offering a fake name and unsatisfying answers.
Improv also comes into play in “Claudine’s Kitchen,” in which the titular Paula Dean-inspired host (Ingle) loses her cool during commercial breaks but has to keep it together for “Lovely Day” dance breaks. I also loved Ingle in her role as an oblivious adopted daughter encouraged to explore her culture by her two fathers (Holmes and Stafford). Meanwhile, Stafford delivers as Davis, a senior citizen struggling to reach their sister to wish her a happy birthday, as well as a frazzled coffee shop employee whose first day working in the bakery department leads to tragic, hysterical consequences.
Timothy M. Schmidt.
In almost any other review of a Second City show, this would be the point where I would spotlight one individual performer as comedy’s “next big thing,” encouraging audiences to see them in this venerated venue before their big break. I can’t do that here because the entire ensemble is so delightful and talented that they’re all poised for stardom. I hope Saturday Night Live or a sitcom eventually scoops each of them, but not too soon, as their contributions to This Too Shall Slap are far too enjoyable to lose, evidenced by a well-deserved standing ovation on opening night.
This Too Shall Slap runs Tuesdays through Sundays at Second City, 230 W. North Ave. Tickets (starting at $39) are on sale now.
For more information on this and other productions, see theatreinchicago.com.
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