Steadstyle Chicago
	February 2010 Theatre Review by Alan Bresloff
	Rush Limbaugh! the Musical There are a lot of crazy characters in our political world and in Chicago we are fortunate to have a theater ensemble that can convert this craziness into comic relief for those who are tired of the craziness.  That ensemble is The Second City on Wells Street.  The Second City e.t.c., having just had a smash hit with "Rod Blagojevich Superstar!" is back with another 90 minutes of solid laughter in "Rush Limbaugh! The Musical", written by Ed Furman (book) and T.J. Shanoff (music and lyrics), and is even funnier than their Blago romp.  The story takes a look at Limbaugh from his youth until the future (2014) and shows us how he became just what he became.  Mark Sutton is powerful in this role and despite a few blips in the opening night festivities, truly makes his character the man you love to hate.  By the way, the music in this production takes on the flavor of some of Broadway's finest, "Les Miz", "Rent", "Wicked" and "Spring Awakening".  Listen closely to what they say and watch the faces of this cast.  They are crass and subtle at the same time, a true art form. Let me tell you about the other five cast members in this production.  Karla L. Beard has a powerful voice  and a great smile.  She is a little new to the way the Second City players work and they may have caught her off guard in one or two instances, but that is allowed in a revue, isn't it?  Kevin Sciretta is very funny as Barney Frank and does a cute bit as baseball player George Brett.  Cayne Collier and Bumper Carroll handle their multi roles with great dexterity, in particular their spin on Abbot and Costello as Karl Rove and Donald Rumsfeld is a stitch.  The lovely Colleen Murray does a wild Hillary Clinton and a severe Ann Coulter.  This show takes potshots at every politician since the 1970's, as only the Second City people know how to do.  The energy of this cast could generate enough electricity to light up a high rise.  Non stop action, exit stage left, enter stage right, wearing new hair (in particular Ms. Murray who manages to make Hillary look better on stage than she does in real life, and kudos to Stylist Claire Kelly) and from one scene to the next, they never miss a beat or forget who they are playing. Yes, they make fun of our presidents, one and all!  Yes they make fun of African Americans, Muslims, Hispanics, Gays, Christians, God, all other religions and even Ronald Reagan (a darling little dancing Ronnies number), and while not always in the best of taste, it is done with tongues-in-cheek and we all know that what they say is what America sees and in the case of Rush Limbaugh, all they say is all that his name stands for.  Second City e.t.c. is known for hard humor, comedy to take your mind off the problems you may be facing outside of Pipers Alley.  Your job, your 401K, your mortgage, your family situation; all of these may be unknowns as far as the future and what is in store for you, but once you get to the second floor at Second City e.t.c., these problems and troubles stay in the lobby, better yet on the first floor.  You are here to relax, have a drink, laugh and just have a good time.  And you will. There is no real set to speak of and the lighting for the most part is just on who is onstage, although they had a surge or two on opening night.  But the musicians Tony Mendoza, Trey Stone and TJ Shanoff (who also is the writer and musical director...is there nothing that she cannot do?) truly make the musical part of this show just that, musical.  Matt Hovde's direction is as smooth as silk with very little break time between scenes allowing the 90 minutes to flow easily.  Lisa McQueen's choreography is unique in what she is able to get these comics do to on a very small and limited stage.  There are times when we need to escape from our realities and Second City e.t.c. is the perfect spot to do so. This show  will continue through May 9, 2010.  The schedule is Tuesday and  Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. (not on 2/5 as there is some kind of sporting event).  Perhaps this one will be moved to Navy Pier for this summer allowing a far greater number of people to have the experience that I had tonight.  Tickets are a mere $25 and can be reserved by calling 312-337-3992 or online at www.secondcity.com.  There are some "premium" seats available, check with customer relations.   About Alan Bresloff Alan Bresloff, once an actor himself, has been covering the Chicago Theater Scene since 1993, first as the Theater and Arts critic for LaRaza newspaper, then with Salsachicago.com and then onto Extra Newspaper and The Epoch Times.  He also writes for ElImparcial and TeleGuia.  His reviews can also be seen on www.theatreinchicago.com.  Alan does not call himself a "critic" but a "reviewer" as he tries to educate the reader about theater itself, what is a good value, what to look for in a play or musical and more.  "Exposure to theater is a very important part of a young person's life" he says. "Learning about the arts and culture is in fact learning about life" and he tries to explain more in his reviews than just if it is good or bad.  Even some of the poor productions have some value, he often says and he would love your feedback on shows that you have seen.  You can write him here or at albresloff@sbcglobal.net.