By Lauren Emily Whalen
The holidays are stressful enough without subjecting yourself to yet another production of A Christmas Carol. Thank god for improv comedy—specifically, The Second City’s Holidazed and Amused, a decidedly adult two-hour celebration of yuletide antics that skewers a range of seasonal subjects with pop culture references and family dysfunction.
Directed by Anne Libera, Holidazed and Amused features Second City’s mainstage ensemble with live piano accompaniment from music director Anthony Belsito, who delivers the occasional sassy one-liner between sketches. The 65-year-old Chicago institution (home to alums like Tina Fey, Keegan-Michael Key, and Stephen Colbert) remains a seven-night-a-week comedy powerhouse, and this holiday offering proves why.
No seasonal subject matter is off the table, from a disapproving father and his prospective son-in-law unexpectedly bonding over a Will Ferrell Christmas classic (on Criterion DVD, no less) to an Ocean’s 11-esque heist involving scheming fourth-graders and hidden presents.
Holidazed and Amused intersperses rehearsed sketches with improvisational bits that incorporate audience suggestions. Improv is a delicate art, and even the most seasoned and trained improvisers (like those The Second City is famous for producing) can’t guarantee a laugh a minute.
At this performance, a longer improvised bit taking place in multiple sections of an IKEA—per an audience prompt for “a place that has many spaces”—ran the gamut from absolutely hilarious (overzealous Swedish employees attempting to deliver the prophesied “IKEA baby”) to more than slightly awkward (two women shopping for their first off-campus furniture who end up crowing feminist messages back and forth with no real payoff).
But like any holiday gift exchange, you receive with gratitude.
The funniest improv of the evening involved the cast asking an audience member about her hometown, first crush, and worst enemy from high school, and incorporating her answers into a “Hallmark Holiday Movie” musical.
Individual cast members vary by show, but this performance’s standouts included Anna Bortnick as the plucky Hallmark heroine in the improv above, Kennedy Baldwin as an enthusiastic classical music conductor who isn’t above a twerk, and Rich Alfonso as a hapless inventor.
Though the improv may ocassionally slip on the ice, Holidazed and Amused provides grown-up fun for anyone ready to laugh at the season’s absurdities.
4/5 stars
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Fast facts: The Second City’s ‘Holidazed and Amused’
The Second City’s holiday show delivers sharp seasonal sketches and laugh-out-loud moments, even when the improv Ghost of Christmas Present doesn’t always cooperate.
- The Second City, 1616 N. Wells St., Chicago
- Running time: Approximately 2 hours with one intermission
- Performances through January 1, 2026
