"“Chicago's temple of improvisational comedy.” —New York TimesImprov revolutionized American entertainment, and the mother ship of improv is The Second City. Since 1959, The Second City has been producing cutting-edge satire and wickedly funny improvisation, while keeping countless individuals of questionable character off the streets for a couple of hours each night. It has also trained thousands of performers in the art of improv-based ..."
""The entire recent tradition of American theatrical satire can be summed up in three words: The Second City." --New York Times Many of comedy's biggest stars cut their teeth at The Second City. Learn all of the backstage details--the laughs, loves, struggles, successes, fights and failures that have made Second City such a fertile ground for comedy over the years. And hear Second City's most outrageous and hilarious live performanc ..."
"Written by one of American theater's most avid and knowledgeable proponents, "No Legs, No Jokes, No Chance" traces the American musical from its rich and varied beginnings in European opera, American minstrel shows, and vaudeville through its many permutations to its current state - from, as Sheldon Patinkin puts it, "La Boheme" to "Rent". Minstrelsy, burlesque, revue, dance, and choreographers, the "texts" of musical theater so often o ..."
Second City Backstage At The World's Greatest Comedy Theater by SheldonPatinkin, Harold Ramis, Alan Arkin Hardcover, 200 Pages, Published 2000 by Diane Pub Co ISBN-13: 978-0-7567-7835-4, ISBN: 0-7567-7835-2
"This book recounts the early years of the comedy troupe's biggest stars, including John Belushi, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Mike Myers, Gilda Radner, Alan Arkin, Joan Rivers, David Steinberg, Robert Klein, Chris Farley, Martin Short & John ..."
Serious Mischief(Reprint) Backstage at the Second City, the World's Greatest Comedy Theater by SheldonPatinkin Paperback, 216 Pages, Published 2003 by Sourcebooks, Inc ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-0013-7, ISBN: 1-4022-0013-7
"This work offers a complete episode guide and comprehensive history of Second City Television. With unforgettable parodies of game shows (Shoot at the Stars) and classic movies (The Man Who Would Be King of the Popes), and freewheeling commercials for products like Oil of Oil, the Canadian sketch comedy series won devoted fans and influenced many films and television shows that followed. The SCTV crowd created dozens of memorable chara ..."
101 Myths of the Bible How Ancient Scribes Invented Biblical History by Gary Greenberg, SheldonPatinkin Hardcover, 319 Pages, Published 2000 by Sourcebooks Inc ISBN-13: 978-1-57071-586-0, ISBN: 1-57071-586-6
"This riveting and controversial book reveals how the ancient editors of the Bible used the myths and legends of neighboring cultures to build the foundation of the monotheistic religions of today. 101 Myths of the Bible exposes the contradictions imbedded in many of the tales and events in the Old Testament, exploring the story behind the story to determine what really happened. Author Gary Greenberg draws on arguments endorsed by mos ..."