Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Second to None

Ever wonder where today’s comedic superstars got their start? For wisecrackers Tina Fey, Jack McBrayer, Bill Murray and Stephen Colbert, the answer’s the same: the Second City. The nearly 50-year-old Chicago comedy theater, founded as a small cabaret by Paul Sills in 1959, is known for producing some of the funniest voices in each generation. One of its four touring companies swings into Vermont this Thursday to hit the stage with highlights from the troupe’s best sketches, songs and improvisations over the years. The website promises that material ripped from the day’s newspaper headlines will give audiences “a mind explosion of political and social satire.” The cast includes Brooke Bagnall, Rob Belushi and Greg Hess — names you may not recognize now, but could one day.