Last night the Mrs. and I took in a show over at the Playhouse in the Park. We settled down in one of their smaller theaters (the venue where our friends David and Rachel were wed) and enjoyed The Second City Does Cincinnati. For those of you unfamiliar with the Second City, it's a Chicago-based comedy club which has served as the launching pad for some of the greatest comedians in the industry. They actually teach comedy, specializing in improvisation, and act as a feeder for Saturday Night Live. Back in July, this particular comedy team spent a week in Cincinnati developing material for the show. I'll admit, I was somewhat skeptical that these outsiders would be able to capture the essence of our town, but they nailed it. The bits ranged from short to long, from monologue to song, but they effectively harnessed a Cincinnati vibe and put on some good comedy— poking fun at P&G, Pete Rose, and even the controversial downtown streetcar. My favorite bit was a Westside story spoof, highlighting Cincinnati's Eastside verses Westside debate. They're running the show a few more days (until January 16th), so there's still a chance for you to catch it. While some of the humor is PG-13, there's nothing to salacious for a minister to stand.
Besides a ton of laughs, my take away from the show was one of gratitude for our city. Yes, I've lived here my entire life so I'm a little biased, but this is a fantastic town. Like any other town, we have our peculiarities, but it's a culture of our own. Ours is a great metropolis, one of which we should be proud.
But the least we can do is laugh at ourselves. I mean, we are the city that elected Jerry Springer mayor.