BWW Reviews: LIVE WRONG AND PROSPER Provides the Laughs

If you’re looking for laughs, Second City Toronto’s presentation of Live Wrong and Prosper is doling out quality laughs in quantities sure to please your funny bone.  The show (which opened March 27^th)  combines scripted skits that take on social media, current events, politics and more with brilliant moments of improvisation for which the company is so well known. 

The show opens with Ashley Comeau showcasing her vocal chops in a song about our fast paced lifestyle and how we always want more.  The song sets up the show nicely, and thankfully, Live Wrong and Prosper doesn’t leave the audience wanting more.  The magic in this production is the fact that it has something for everyone – it is a show that could resonate with savvy theatre goers while at the same time winning over the type of people who are having their first live theatre experience.  Perhaps even more importantly, it succeeds in doing what many recent productions have struggled to do – it delivers laughs while pushing boundaries in a sexy and daring way. In pushing those boundaries The Second City has created a show that will appeal to young audiences hesitant to part with their hard earned money and take a chance on theatre.

This tightly knit group of six actors perform like a well-oiled machine from the very beginning, with each sketch highlighting their individual talents.  Right off the bat the show pokes fun at the social media crowd as we watch a couple attempt to live-tweet the birth of their first child.  While there may have been some 'hashtag ignorant' people in the audience, everyone enjoyed the satirical look at people who feel the need to tweet every moment of their lives.  Another social media related skit examines the issue of what happens to a person’s online identity after they pass away, and raises such good questions that I found myself considering a social media amendment to my own last will and testament.  

Other highlights include Alastair Forbes’ hilarious impersonation of a father dealing with his family's use of technology to push for a more democratic vacation policy (complete with references to political smear campaigns) and Jason DeRosse channeling Varsity Blues, sporting a ‘whipped cream bikini’ of sorts and strolling through the audience.  It is this type of commitment to laughs and willingness to do (almost) anything that elevates Live Wrong and Prosper from light comedic fare into high quality entertainment. Carly Heffernan and Inessa Frantowski show similar abandon when they embark into the audience to showcase our society’s lack of concern for basic privacy – and in the process find themselves emptying purses, borrowing cellphones and re-enacting classic movie scenes with unsuspecting audience members. 

Since Second City is known for their improvisational skills, the show provides an opportunity for the actors to engage the audience and show off their ability to think on their feet.  In a witty segment that pokes fun at reality television, the audience helps determine the subject matter for upcoming shows.  The result? A brilliant improvisational “Curling with the Stars” which saw Nigel Downer morph into a racy version of Barack Obama and go head to sexy head with Jason DeRosse’s Justin Bieber.  

All in all, Live Wrong and Prosper is a fun and engaging night out at the theatre.  You will laugh, scream and perhaps find yourself face to face with a man covered in whipped cream.  What more could you ask for?

When and Where?

Live Wrong and Prosper

Second City Toronto

51 Mercer St

Performance Schedule:

Tues-Thurs at 8PM, Fri and Sat at 8PM & `10:30PM, Sun at 7PM

To purchase tickets or for more information call 416-343-0011 or visit www.secondcity.com

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