Days and Nights at the Second City : A Memoir, with Notes on Staging Review Theatre

On December 1, 1959, in Chicago, a small band of classically trained actors, directors, and musicians came together to create what became—and remains—a legendary home of comedy: The Second City. Very quickly it achieved an international reputation as a center for comedic performance. It served as the training ground for hundreds of important writers, actors, and directors: Bill Murray, John Belushi, Alan Arkin, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, John Candy, Martin Short, Harold Ramis, George Wendt, Mike Myers, Gilda Radner—the list goes on and on. Now Bernard Sahlins, a founder and the longtime director and producer of The Second City, has set down his experiences and his methods in Days and Nights at The Second City. A fascinating history of how this remarkable institution came to be, plus a detailed text on every aspect of staging a comic review, and absorbing conversation on the art of the hilarious. Not only actors and directors but anyone interested in theatre and comedy will find engaging and useful insights on every page. The entire recent tradition of American satire can be summed up in three words: The Second City. —New York Times. A must for anyone interested in the period. —Alan Arkin