Review: The Second City's ALMOST ACCURATE GUIDE TO AMERICA at the Kennedy Center

Love it or hate it, the whodunit farce Shear Madness at the Kennedy Center represented D.C. theater for busloads of high school students for nearly 30 years.

It's taking its first break, though, to make way for the one component of the Kennedy Center's first District of Comedy Festival that will last the longest - seven weeks.

It's from one of the longest running comedy incubators in the country, from Chicago. But given its location, The Second City's Almost Accurate Guide to America is cognizant of many things, from the season's overflowing gift to political humor, Donald Trump, to the departure of Shear Madness.

It's mentioned more than once in the two hour cornucopia of political satire, some of which is simply corny, but other parts of which are very sharply crafted.

Working with a pretty much blank stage and six busy cast members go forward and back in time (at places with the help of a time machine) to present different eras in the American scene, the land of Mountain Dew, Hotels for Cats, and stuffed crust pizza.

Second City of course has a storied history in American Comedy, dating back 60 years or so, with alumni that includes Mike Nichols, Elaine May, David Sternberg, Peter Boyle, John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd, John Candy, Bill Murray, Chris Farley, Bob Odenkirk, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Tim Meadows, Keegan Michael Key, Tina Fey and Jane Lynch (star of her own District of Comedy showcase).

None of them are in this particular Second City cast, it goes without saying. But the show, commissioned by the Kennedy Center and directed by Billy Bungeroth (who was also head writer) works because of the enthusiasm and talent of its cast.

Some of the sketches in Guide to America are very short. Here's one in its entirety: "How about that abortion bill?" "Pay it."

The most complex may be a takeoff of Hamilton reserved for its most overflowing embodiment of current political comedy, Trump, played by Andrew Knox in a yellow wig.

He's a reliable figure to trot onto stage from time to time, but used nearly as much is Ross Taylor as Ronald Reagan, whose history is presented with a clever song, but it seems to fly over the heads of the young audience, who weren't born when he was around.

Better received was a sketch perfect for tourists: a conversation among the various Washington monuments. It was a big hit, too, when Abraham Lincoln went ahead in time for help in writing the Gettysburg Address, only to meet President Kanye West (Tyler Davis) during his 2026 presidency. Its funniest lines, though, were verbatim quotations from the egotistical rapper.

Depicting one family's life through different eras was funny and pointed, as was a confab of various first ladies from Dolley Madison (Ryan Asher), to Eleanor Roosevelt (Sayjal Joshi) to Hilary Clinton (Marla Caceres).

They carve a place for improv in both of the show's acts to show off how quick they are on their feet and possibly to fill in time int he script. It didn't go far when they asked for suggestions in act one. Far more devastating was the results of a game show "What's Your Privilege?" in which the entire audience is asked to stand, and then set according to different criterion (gender, color, age, orientation) until there was just one Guy Standing - a prosperous white commercial real estate salesman who was brought on stage for more interrogation, so as to feed what would be an imagined day in the life for this lucky fellow.

That he mistakenly called his date that night his "friend" was cause for much of the resulting humor.

In a city where Capitol Steps regularly issue reliable shows of political satire, and where New York's Upright Citizen's Brigade is about to take the stage at Woolly Mammoth next month, there would not seem to be a particular need for a month and a half of The Almost Accurate Guide to America in a festival where the highlights from Judd Apatow to Dick Gregory seem to be one night affairs.

But you have to admit it sure beats Shear Madness.

Running time: Two hours including one 20 minute intermission.

Photo Credit: Andrew Knox as Donald Trump. Photo by Scott Suchman.

The Second City's Almost Accurate Guide to America continues through July 31 at the Kennedy Center Theatre Lab, 2700 F St NW. Tickets available from 202-467-4600 or online.

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