Founded in 1959, Chicago’s comedy sketch-and-improvisation theater company The Second City returns to The Birchmere in Alexandria on Friday, September 19, for the first time in 35 years. The “Laugh Harder, Not Smarter” show is performed by six Second City cast members, whom associate artistic director Rob Wilson assures us are “the A team.” We got the chance to talk with him before the performance.
NVM: What’s your favorite thing about Northern Virginia?
Wilson: Hmmm. Well, my least favorite thing is Tysons Corner. I used to date some girls from Sterling. I spent entirely too much money in there.
NVM: This year is the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. Second City has famously supplied many of the more successful SNL cast members for decades. How does your group feel about SNL getting all the limelight?
Wilson: Oh man, honestly, we love it, because their success is closely tied to our success. You know, the folks who started over there 50 years ago mostly all came from Second City. So their big wins are our big wins. And if I’m being honest, they do so much for the art form of sketch comedy and bringing it into the zeitgeist — it helps inform audiences of what we are doing.
NVM: Good point. A lot of us have never seen improv live. Is there audience participation?
Wilson: One hundred percent. Second City is known for two things: Sketch comedy like you would see on SNL, and then improv, which you know, is right off the top of the head — but we come to you for suggestions. Each and every show is so different because it’s completely based off what the audience is throwing at us. It’s gonna be so good that you’re gonna think that it’s written. But it’s not.
NVM: Last question. Ask us one.
Wilson: Where are my [cast members] going to have fun after the show?
NVM: Tysons.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Feature image courtesy The Second City
This story originally ran in our September issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
