SNL legend Dana Carvey once said, “All comedians want to be rock stars ‘cause they’re incredibly cool.” The cast of Pandemonium, Please Hold, Second City’s 114th mainstage revue, is proof positive of Carvey’s theory. Heavy on musical humor, the show is another impressive outing from Chicago’s most renowned comedic institution.
With a mostly refreshed cast—Bill Letz is the sole holdover from last year’s fantastic This Too Shall Slap—Pandemonium offers 30 sketches, including a number of “blackouts” (bits that wrap up within 30 or so seconds), many of which revolve around popular songs like “There She Goes,” “Don’t You Want Me,” and “In the Air Tonight.” As to be expected with sketch comedy, some hit harder than others (literally in one instance), but the show is consistently strong, balancing high-energy bits with thoughtful and even poignant pieces. The revue is directed by Carisa Barreca.
One early sketch features the whole cast as college pals reuniting for a trip to Mexico. The trip organizer (Eddie Mujica) goes to great lengths to make sure everyone pays up, but the centerpiece is a heartfelt conversation between two friends (Preston Parker and Yazmin Ramos) curious about taking their relationship to the next level without “penetrating” the group. It’s a delightfully twisted yet sincere tone-setter with outrageous interruptions and a surprising conclusion.
Cat McDonnell. Photo by Timothy M. Schmidt.
Later, Mujica’s fortune-telling card reader character has its moments, but doesn't take full advantage of its unconventional setup. More successful is Cat McDonnell’s LinkedIn verbiage-friendly piano showcase, which earned huge laughs. McDonnell, Parker, and Zoe McKee are the clear musical all-stars of the cast, with the former two trading off rocking bass and guitar duties, and the latter a vocal powerhouse who led the soulful all-cast singalong, “What the Hell is Going On?”
Rivaling McDonnell’s song for the highlight of act one is the hysterical “Mr. Marshmallow” sketch, in which Letz plays an Elmo-esque character on a children’s TV show, suddenly charged with tackling more serious issues to appeal to adult viewers. In act two, Letz’s physical comedy boosts Parker’s song about a quirky cowboy.
Overall, the first act is stronger than the second, which opens with an AI-inspired improv sketch with a few great visual gags but a mostly unclear, rushed approach that could have gone further. There were still some fine sketches, however. I really enjoyed watching Letz’s awkward, desperate interaction with a bathroom attendant (Mujica)—Letz’s year of experience on the mainstage serves him well; he shines throughout the show, but the five newbies are certainly no slouches themselves.
While not quite as superb as This Too Shall Slap, Pandemonium makes for a very worthwhile and entertaining evening.
Pandemonium, Please Hold runs Tuesdays through Sundays at Second City, 230 W. North Ave. Tickets (starting at $40) are on sale now.
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