STN Entertainment

Try
Some

Computer
Chips
Salsa

ure, the folks at Detroit's
Second City are in the
business of making peo-
ple laugh, but that's not
all they're after.
The newest revue, Comput-
er Chips and Salsa, includes at
least one sketch intended to
leave just about everyone
squirming in discomfort and
reevaluating his or her own be-
havior.
"Soul Food" takes a blunt
look at racism, specifically the
tension between whites and
blacks in Detroit and its sub-
urbs; and so far, the racially

S

mixed audiences have reacted
with stunned silence, says cast
member Josh Funk.
"We tease the audience a lit-
tle," he says, by provoking
laughter and then making peo-
ple uncomfortable with the
source of the humor. "It's the
most powerful piece in the
show, but it's not the funniest."
Then again, the Second
City's never been solely about
big yuks. It's comedy for the
thinking person, and in Funk's
estimation, writing that gar-
ners an emotional or intellec-
tual response "embodies the

children. 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Wednesday-Friday; 11 a.m.-5
p.m. weekends. 5200 Woodward
Ave. (313) 833-7900.

Wednesday-Sunday; 10 a.m.-9
p.m. Thursday. $4 adults/$2 stu-
dents, children, seniors. 1221 N.
Woodward. (810) 645-3312.

Feb. 9. 106 E. Liberty, Ann Ar-
bor. (313) 994-7411.

Cranbrook Art Museum.
Viewpoint Painter and Center
for Creative Studies professor
Gilda Snowden selects work by
Detroit-area artists. Through
March 24. An Autobiography:
Paintings by Thomas Nozkows-
ki with Photographs by Judy
Linn. Through March 24.
Dream Sites: A Visual Essay by
George Tysh, a Detroit poet and
WSU professor. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

The Art Center. Michigan Wa-
ter Color Society 49th Annual Ex-
hibition. Thirty-nine paintings
selected by New York artist Nan-
cy Hagin. Through Feb. 22. 125
Macomb Place, Mount Clemens.
(810) 469-8666.

Cast members Joshua Funk,
with guitar, Dionna Griffin
and John Farley perform the
new show at Detroit's
Second City.

The Art House. Partial proceeds
of the grand opening of the gallery
gb to the H.I.V. AIDS Resource
Center. 6 p.m.-12 a.m. Friday,

AUDITEIS

Detroit Oratorio Society
seeks singers of all types for a
March 24 performance of
Andrew Lloyd Webber's Re-
quiem and a May 17 "Mostly
Mozart" concert. Rehearsals
Monday evenings. (810) 650-
2655.

Michigan Theatre and Dance
Troupe. Saturday afternoons

idea of what theater should
be."
That's not to say that the
downtown troupe's sixth re-
vue is any shorter on laughs
than previous shows. During
the evening, the six-member
cast examines what opening
day at the new Tiger Stadium
might be like; and the title
sketch is actually a song about
a guy who accidentally spills
salsa on his keyboard.
Funk, a recent graduate of
the University of Michigan's
musical theater department
and seven-month mainstage
veteran, describes the style of
the current Second City cast
(almost entirely different from
the original crew) as up-tempo
and quick. The new revue, he
says, mixes mostly fresh mate-

rial that the actors wrote over
a two-month period during No-
vember and December, with a
few classic Second City scenes
from the Chicago stage.
And don't be surprised if you
get a little contemplation with
your comedy.

—Liz Stevens

through Feb. 29. Singers, actors,
dancers, writers and stage tech-
nicians 16 and over wanted. By
appointment only. (810) 552-
5001.

day. Reservations required. Open
Mike Night 8:30 p.m. every Tues-
day, with "Totally Unrehearsed
Theater". $6/weeknights,
$12/weekends. 269 E. Fourth,
Royal Oak. (810) 542-9900.

COMM

Just For Laughs: Mark Boyd,
Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 8-10.
Seth Buchwald , Thursday-Sat-
urday, Feb. 15-17. Open Mic Nite
8:30 p.m. every Wednesday, with
`Totally Unrehearsed Theater".
At Sanctum, 65 E. Huron, Ponti-
ac. (810) 334-6512.

Mark Ridley's Comedy Cas-
tle: Kozak, with Stunt Johnson
Theatre, Thursday-Sunday, Feb.
8-11. Jeff Stilson, with Ross Am-
micucci. Wednesday-Sunday,
Feb. 14-19. 8:30 p.m. Wednesday-
Thursday; 8:15 and 10:45 p.m.
Friday-Saturday; 7:30 p.m. Sun-

CALENDAR page 86