REVIEW: It's Ladies Night! At Second City
By Sophie Day in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 14, 2015 7:00PM
In their premier show at Donny's Skybox Theater (located in the Second City Training Center at Piper's Alley), comedians Mollie Rehner and Katie Nixon combine sketch, songs and monologues to give the audience a glimpse into a farcical version of their everyday lives.
Running Friday nights at midnight through April 3, "Ladies Night" is a fun and funny show. There is candy on the tables. One of The Second City's great improv troupes opens the event with games to amp up the audience. And when Rehner and Nixon finally take the stage—with a sketch about two young women battling over the superior boyband, NSYNC or the Backstreet Boys—they have everyone laughing until the very end.
As women in comedy, both Rehner and Nixon seem interested in challenging scripts and assumptions about what it means to be a woman and a feminist in today's world. In one of the recurring bits throughout the show, the two sit in chairs facing each other and as the lights come up, a loud speaker declares, "Tonight, FUPA Masterpiece Theater Presents..." Rehner and Nixon pull their shirts up, stomachs slouching and exposed, and recite scenes from movies while puppeting their belly buttons.
Aside from being ridiculous and hilarious, the piece serves to illustrate that women can be comfortable and joke about their bodies in the same way that men can. In a society where many women feel obsessively unhappy with their image, it's refreshing to see some call attention to and take ownership of their imperfections. Rehner and Nixon want to remind everyone that feminism doesn't have to be dark and angry, but can be silly and fun.
Though don't let this sketch or the title fool you. "Ladies Night" is open to women and men alike. In a recent interview with Red Eye the two creators point out that, "It's not a ladies night without men."
"Ladies Night! A Sketch Show with Gumption" runs every Friday night from now until April 3 and starts at midnight. Tickets are $12.