Second City gears up for second season

After a popular run of Second City Does Baltimore at Center Stage last season, the comedy troupe has returned again for round two, Second City: Charmed and Dangerous.

The Second City originates from Chicago, where they perform nightly shows of improv, sketch comedy and stand-up. They are famous for their alum, many of who move on to join the cast of Saturday Night Live. The play, directed by Matt Hoyde, is structured around an artist—"I'm a muralist and a DJ that specializes in vegan dub music"—painting a mural for a new neighborhood in Baltimore, and features completely new scenes from the original production.

The writers, Ed Furman and Tim Sniffen, spent the summer in Baltimore finding material for the songs and skits featured. Furman and Sniffen roasted everything from current Baltimore events like the Grand Prix and the mayoral election to the infamous, like a young Edgar Allen Poe intent on dying penniless and alone, and the city's tense race relations.

Some scenes were vague and could have been relevant to any city. Those proved to be weaker, but most scenes were on-point and hilarious, like the portrayal of a farmer's market addict who can't stop talking about her organic tomatoes, and the real intent behind Baltimore smokers—"I want to die young because I didn't save enough for retirement."

More than a few skits were dedicated to Johns Hopkins, beginning with a young baby boy born as "John" who is mistakenly re-named to "Johns." Songs punctuated the short skits, including one that featured an imagined "Brody Surgical Annex" overtaking a couple's home without permission and a song that begins "We only teach the finest minds / with the most to prove / where many [students] never leave / because they're too broke to move."

Another song—"take a chance on a Hopkins girl"—derides Towson girls for desperately trying to get a Hopkins man to put a ring on their finger, and Hopkins girls for intimidating their fellow male students.

The improvised scenes, including an on-the-spot musical and a political debate, were weaker but entertaining thanks to the actors' enthusiasm and talent and an engaging crowd that was eager to participate. The male half of the group—Ryan Archibald, Cody Dove and Ric Walker—carried many of the scenes, but the ladies—Brooke Breit, Chelsea Devantez and Lili-Anne Brown—had their shining moments as well.

Two rowhouses provided the set for Second City and pianist Matthew Loren Cohen delivered a fantastic soundtrack to the comedy. The ending, which coincided with the artist's completed mural (stowed away in his steel mill turned sugar factory turned cemetery turned Trader Joe's turned artist loft), was overwhelmingly cheesy but well earned.

It takes more than being a Baltimore native to get every joke, but even without context the show is endearing and entertaining. Second City runs until Oct. 16 at Center Stage.