In a showdown between Saturday Night Live and Second City TV, SNL comes out the shrill, monotonous loser with the long, embarrassing sketches. SC was born onstage in Chicago in 1959, and expanded to the small screen during the seventies and eighties. Eight seasons of inventive ensemble comedy featured young comics like John Candy, Eugene Levy, and Martin Short. While the TV show has been relegated to DVD, the live show goes on, starring up-and-comers who no doubt toss coins into hotel fountains and wish for a contract doing more tedious work on SNL. Until then, they can tour with this live rerun, which revives some of the funniest skits from the SCTV archives, along with new and improvisational material. 2004 Randolph Ave., St, Paul; 1-800-277-6874, www.secondcity.com
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