Second City Toronto has a new sketch comedy show for their main stage revue: Walking on Bombshells! Torontonicity was invited for the media preview and got a first hand look at the new show featuring the amazing cast of Allana Reoch, Chris Wilson, Nadine Djoury, PHATT al, Sharjil Rasool, and Stacey McGunnigle. This is the same great cast that made us actually laugh out loud from The Best Is Yet to Come Undone, which you can read about here.
If you haven’t been to Second City Toronto yet, you’ve been missing out! There’s no way around the fact that Second City has been the starting point for many of comedy’s biggest names to launch their careers: Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Chris Farley and Tina Fey. There’s an established history, and the company keeps offering up opportunities for raw talent, as well as a place to refine skills for any beginners.
Walking on Bombshells introduces a slightly different stage than what we’ve seen recently from Second City Toronto, as all the sketches are performed on what appears to be a TTC subway platform. This speaks volumes to the troupe’s ability to zero in on what’s relevant and a hot-button item with Toronto crowds, as it was in our not-so-distant-past where we were experiencing insane delays and closures because of freezing temperatures and storms. This team knows their audience and hits the nail right on the head!
As a regular commuter myself, I couldn’t help but laugh at the sketch that focused on a subway delay where the riders couldn’t think of anyone but themselves, eventually morphing into a moment where they collectively lamented that a potential jumper wouldn’t experience all the beautiful things in life that they’re all about to enjoy. I know, it sounds serious, but they execute it with such precision that the crowd laughs and reflects on the message. That’s the true craft behind comedy and demonstrates the strength of this team – they make you think.
In the past, I have been very vocal about how much I admire Stacey McGunnigle’s timing and physicality; I think she’s a comedy beast, but Sharjil Rasool is absolutely dominating! He’s the lead on a sketch focused around buying a condo that’s well outside his financial means, and it had the audience laughing so hard. He’s hilarious and remains composed during every improv bit he’s thrown into.
Another improv beast is Allana Reoch, who has a sweet and angelic face, but regularly contributes the most hilarious lines. She even has fellow cast members breaking character and laughing from her sharp lines! In Walking on Bombshells, she works with Chris Wilson on one sketch where a father is encouraging his shy son to speak out loud in public and if you’re a parent, or have younger children in your life, you know exactly how excruciating that moment can be – hell, maybe you’ve been in a line with that exact situation holding everyone up. Either way, it clearly resonated with the crowd, and made for great laughs!
Walking on Bombshells isn’t the only show available at Second City Toronto, so if you’ve already been to see the mainstage revue, check out their full calendar. They have a special presentation on April 27, 2019 from the Conservatory students, titled Carpe Into My DMs, and it would be a great chance to see the next generation of comedy! Enjoy!
Tickets for Walking on Bombshells are General Admission from $30 and Reserved Admission from $50. Purchase tickets online or at the Second City Toronto Box Office.
