As the last few stragglers hurry to find seats at the Lakeshore Theater, members of the Upright Citizens Brigade -- Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts, Andy Daly and Horatio Sanz -- engage the audience in friendly banter.
One guy tells Besser he sells CDs on the Internet, though it isn't exactly clear if they are used CDs or simply blank. A woman mentions that she happened to lose her virginity late on Sept. 10, 2001, waking up early the next morning as the World Trade Center towers were falling. Another guy goes on and on about once being propositioned by a "hobo" outside a fast-food restaurant.
Only when the lights begin to dim, do these audience members realize they were helping the improvisational troupe develop its next hour of comedy.
"It's a pretty informal show that can go anywhere," Walsh says after an hour of rapid-fire improv. "That comes as a shock to some people. But that's what we do."
And now, the Upright Citizens Brigade is doing it in Chicago, returning to the place where it all began more than 15 years ago. Thanks to a new residency deal with the Lakeshore Theater, "UCB Presents" highlights a set of weekly Tuesday shows of cutting-edge comedy that helped launch the careers of an impressive list of improv impresarios, including Sanz and Amy Poehler of "Saturday Night Live," along with The Daily Show's Rob Riggle.
In a town famously known for its improv -- particularly with i.O. and Second City -- the Upright Citizens Brigade should be a natural addition.
"In terms of the buzz and the electricity about this, a lot of it is coming from the Chicago improv community," says Chris Ritter, owner and artistic director of the Lakeshore Theater. "People are excited to watch these guys work. As far as improv, in my mind, these guys are as good as it gets."
Upright Citizens Brigade was spawned from Chicago's original ImprovOlympic in 1990, formed by original members that included Besser, Sanz and Adam McKay ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin"). After building a following in Chicago, the troupe relocated to New York in 1996, opening its own theater in 1999. A second venue opened in Hollywood in 2005.
Over the years UCB -- now an enterprise that boasts more than 1,000 students and 400 performers putting on 24 shows a week in New York and Hollywood -- has developed street cred in the comedy world. From 1998 to 2000, the group had a Comedy Central sketch comedy show that helped make Poehler, Besser, Roberts and Walsh household names with their off-the-wall brand of humor.
"This is the show that inspired me to do improv -- seriously," says Jameeleh Shelo, 24, currently performing in "Wii the People" at Second City's Skybox Theatre in Old Town. "I used to go to the theater in New York every week to watch them. Sunday nights, they had this free show. People would wait in line for two or three hours to get in."
For opening night at the Lakeshore Theater earlier this month, fans waited in line for two hours to see the Upright Citizens Brigade. Once the doors opened, they hurried to get the seats closest to the stage.
They found themselves interacting with Besser, Walsh and the gang, inspiring sketches that included a guy who sells clown gear at a store called "Circus City" (he gets upset when people confuse it with that other store); a smug yuppie who insists that his tennis coach go ahead with his lesson despite the tragic events of 9/11; and two frat-boy types who book the ultimate extreme sports trip to Iraq.
"When you perform in L.A. and New York, sometimes the audience gets kind of jaded -- especially in L.A.," Besser says. "But in Chicago, it's about the art of comedy. It's good to bring the show here for an audience that really appreciates the art of the comedy."
'UCB Presents'
When: Open run, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays
Where: The Lakeshore Theater, 3175 N. Broadway
Price: $15; 866-468-3401 andhttp://www.lakeshoretheater.com
The lineup:
Shows will differ from week to week. The troupe will feature shows with touring members (including a fully improvised newscast provided by "Reuben Williams: As Seen On TV") along with one-man shows featuring the likes of Walsh and Besser.
Upcoming shows:
"UCB Touring Company" (Oct. 2); Matt Besser (Oct. 9); "Reuben Williams: As Seen On TV" (Oct. 16); "Scariest Nights of Our Lives" (Oct. 23); "The Buffoons" (Oct. 30).
