Which comedy show should I attend? The Second City or Nimesh Patel?

January 3, 2023 9:38 PM

I have the opportunity to attend a comedy show - either "Nimesh Patel: The Lucky Lefty Tour" or "The Second City Swipes Right: The Incomplete Guide to the Ultimate Date Night". Any idea what each might be like, or what kind of person might enjoy which? Thanks!
posted by ClaireBear to Media & Arts (5 answers total)

I don't know anything about Nimesh Patel. Second City is very traditional sketch/improv comedy. If you like Saturday Night Live from the '80s and '90s, you'll enjoy Second City. It's a little edgier than SNL but less so than The Kids in the Hall. It feels very much like something from decades past. (I genuinely like it a lot, but don't expect to be surprised or shocked. It's light sketch improv dinner theater.)
posted by eotvos at 2:47 AM on January 4, 2023

There are a few videos of Nimesh on YouTube, for you to watch and see if he’s someone you might enjoy seeing.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:08 AM on January 4, 2023

Nimesh Patel is definitely left-leaning politically but also fairly edgy - a few years back he got booted off stage at Columbia for some badly received jokes (you can read and judge for yourself on his Wikipedia page). He's popular on tiktok. I would expect his show to be provocative but he is pretty thoughtful and, I don't think, mean-spirited.

If you read this interview or have a listen to the linked podcast, which is more in-depth, that will probably be enough to judge whether that's your sort of thing.
posted by cpatterson at 5:10 AM on January 4, 2023

Second City is comedy for wealthy tourists - very much geared to a middle aged corporate suburban conservative sense of humour. I would pick Nimish Patel in a heartbeat- he's smart and interesting and genuinely funny.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 8:43 AM on January 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

They are going to be two different things. I'm unfamiliar with Nimish but this is likely a solo-standup act more-or-less with likely 1 or 2 short opening acts likely also doing stand up. I agree that cpatterson's info is likely a good indication of what his stage persona will be like.

The Second City show will be a series of written comedy sketches on the theme encased in the title. Considering the Second City's house style, these were likely originally fully improvised scenes that SC then studied, honed and practiced to form their show. There may or may not be improvised things at the end. If there is, this is the material that is mined for inclusion in future iterations of the show.
posted by mmascolino at 11:05 AM on January 4, 2023