Second City's Reality Detox: Improv Built From the Crowd

The show opens with the cast introducing themselves and asking the room for stories. Everything collected comes back later: a stray detail becomes a character, an offer from the room turns into a scene, and musical director John Love folds a pile of earlier answers into one improvised song. The audience writes the raw material, and a few guests get pulled into a bit, though nobody is promised a turn on stage. Nothing repeats: the same crowd on another night builds a different show.

The revue plays the e.t.c. Theater at 230 W North Ave, in the Second City complex whose mainstage address is 1616 N Wells. There are no fixed rows: the house manager assigns each party a cabaret table as they arrive, and seating starts 45 minutes before curtain. The night runs 90 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. Small plates and local craft beers are served at the tables, with no food or drink minimum. The show is rated R for language and innuendo; guests must be 13 or older, and anyone 13 to 17 needs an adult.

Three tiers price the same night differently. Premium takes the best sightline, General Admission is the standard cabaret seat assigned at the door, and Value can land to the side of the stage with a restricted view. Prices move by performance: in the week of October 26, Value runs 19.59 to 39 dollars, General Admission 39 to 49, Premium 69. Online and phone orders add a 6.95 dollar fee per ticket; the box office adds none. The next performances on sale are Thursday 29 October at 8:00 PM and Friday 30 October at 7:00 and 9:30 PM. The theater sits two blocks east of the Brown Line Sedgwick stop, Piper's Alley Self Park is next door, and Old Town Ale House across the street is cash only and open until 4 AM most nights, 5 AM on Saturday.