Second City: Backstage At The World's Greatest Comedy Theater by Sheldon Patinkin |
Something Wonderful Right Away: An Oral History of the Second City and The Compass Players by Jeffrey Sweet |
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
John Belushi, Mike Meyers, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Mike Nichols and John Candy are just a few of the numerous comedy greats associated with famed Chicago comedy review Second City. In Days and Nights at the Second City: A Memoir, with Notes on Staging Review Theatre, Second City founder and longtime producer and director Bernard Sahlins (editor, Plays for Performance series) tells the story of this influential cultural institution, from its beginnings in 1959. Sahlins's comic sensibility isn't obvious in this mostly rather earnest book, which contains statements like "Man is the only animal that laughs, and comedy's major role is to evoke the laughter that celebrates our unity as mortal creatures." Still, for anyone curious about the history of contemporary American comedy, this book contains plenty of important background. 18 b&w photos.
From Library Journal
Sahlins, one of three founders (in 1959) of the famed Chicago comedy sketch theater The Second City, doesn't profess to have written a complete history; the memoir half of this book stops in 1985. Still, his brief account of the evolution of an institution has charm and wisdom. Those in and around the comedy troupe were political liberals, but they recognized "that the proper target of a satirist is himself and members of his own class." Sahlins recounts how youth culture a subculture through much of the Sixties eventually became the popular culture and helped draw The Second City toward mainstream success. He also offers brief accounts of noted troupe alumni like John Belushi. The book's second half contains extensive directors' notes: on the characteristics of various types of scenes (blackout, parody, etc.), how to best use minimal props and costumes, how to sequence a show, how to open a scene, and how to fix acting mistakes. Sahlins abhors the "bad boy" over-the-top comedy of Saturday Night Live; he wants his actors to "play to the limits of your skill and intelligence." While this book is neither a full history nor a full training manual, the half-loaves are well baked. For strong performing arts collections. Norman Oder, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
John Belushi, Mike Meyers, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Mike Nichols and John Candy are just a few of the numerous comedy greats associated with famed Chicago comedy review Second City. In Days and Nights at the Second City: A Memoir, with Notes on Staging Review Theatre, Second City founder and longtime producer and director Bernard Sahlins (editor, Plays for Performance series) tells the story of this influential cultural institution, from its beginnings in 1959. Sahlins's comic sensibility isn't obvious in this mostly rather earnest book, which contains statements like "Man is the only animal that laughs, and comedy's major role is to evoke the laughter that celebrates our unity as mortal creatures." Still, for anyone curious about the history of contemporary American comedy, this book contains plenty of important background. 18 b&w photos.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Sahlins, one of three founders (in 1959) of the famed Chicago comedy sketch theater The Second City, doesn't profess to have written a complete history; the memoir half of this book stops in 1985. Still, his brief account of the evolution of an institution has charm and wisdom. Those in and around the comedy troupe were political liberals, but they recognized "that the proper target of a satirist is himself and members of his own class." Sahlins recounts how youth culture a subculture through much of the Sixties eventually became the popular culture and helped draw The Second City toward mainstream success. He also offers brief accounts of noted troupe alumni like John Belushi. The book's second half contains extensive directors' notes: on the characteristics of various types of scenes (blackout, parody, etc.), how to best use minimal props and costumes, how to sequence a show, how to open a scene, and how to fix acting mistakes. Sahlins abhors the "bad boy" over-the-top comedy of Saturday Night Live; he wants his actors to "play to the limits of your skill and intelligence." While this book is neither a full history nor a full training manual, the half-loaves are well baked. For strong performing arts collections. Norman Oder, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
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The Second City, New York, Staging Review Theatre, Alan Arkin, Paul Sills, Del Close, Acting Mistakes, John Candy, University of Chicago, Sheldon Patinkin, Bill Matthieu, Square East, Prince Charles, James Burbage, Barbara Harris, John Belushi, Harold Ramis, Severn Darden, Viola Spolin, United States, Gilda Radner, Andrew Alexander, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Troobnik, Fred Kaz Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
behavior scenes, review theatre Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Second City, New York, Staging Review Theatre, Alan Arkin, Paul Sills, Del Close, Acting Mistakes, John Candy, University of Chicago, Sheldon Patinkin, Bill Matthieu, Square East, Prince Charles, James Burbage, Barbara Harris, John Belushi, Harold Ramis, Severn Darden, Viola Spolin, United States, Gilda Radner, Andrew Alexander, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Troobnik, Fred Kaz Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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84% buy the item featured on this page: Days and Nights at The Second City: A Memoir, with Notes on Staging Review Theatre |
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16% buy The Compass: The Improvisational Theatre that Revolutionized American Comedy (Centennial Publications of The University of Chicago Press) $24.00 |
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