"The Second City Guide To The Opera" is a Hit
“This experiment was a resounding success. Saturday night's performance treated the audience to two hours of hilarious sketches fondly spoofing every aspect of opera including the vocalists, fans, composers, and the dramatic plot lines. A chamber ensemble from Lyric's orchestra, along with musical director Jesse Case provided on-the-ball musical accompaniment.” - The Chicago Examiner
“Nobody wins if you ridicule opera in the process of tweaking its conventions, so sustaining the proper tone was crucial. Fortunately, a smart script and the manic exuberance of the cast roasted the sacred cows of opera with a light yet loving touch that was friendly to the veterans as well as neophytes in attendance. The script had been worked and reworked in a series of public tryouts. The refining process showed: Belly laughs flowed as readily as naughty vulgarities, the likes of which have seldom if ever been uttered on this venerable stage.” - The Chicago Tribune
“After more than a year of planning, writing, improvising and stagework between the two companies, the show played Saturday night at the Civic Opera House to a highly mirthful sold-out crowd of 4,000-plus. Director Billy Bungeroth, actor-writer Timothy Sniffen, writer Kate James and writer-composer-arranger Jesse Case worked strong changes on Second City standbys... with a reminder of just how funny the group can be when it’s not afraid to go back to its roots in brainy, cultural parody.” - The Sun-Times
“For the past several months, the writers immersed themselves in Opera... and obviously found plenty of good material. Second City strives to go beyond the easy obvious laugh. Rarely did Case’s bouncy, rhyming songs include direct quotes from famous Operas... though many of the 20-plus segments on Saturday night were entirely sung. High spirited but never mean, it brought a bracing dose of laughter and humanity to a form too often seen as deadly serious and elitist. It deserves a longer run.” - Musical America Worldwide