SATIRE KEEPS ON WORKING FOR 2ND CITY

One of the skits planned for tonight’s Orange Coast College performance by the Second City improvisation troupe centers on an accidental meeting between a barfly and two Vietnam veterans. The vets tell the guy about their war experiences and he, in turn, relates his life at home, far from the front.

This is comedy? It sounds more like the plot for a one-act drama aimed at exploring the scars left from the war. But talk to members of the famous Chicago-based troupe, and they insist that the bit can be very funny. More than that, it’s socially aware, which, they note, is one of Second City’s focuses.

“We don’t only do improvisation, we also try to be topical and do social satire,” said Jeff Michalski, director of Second City’s touring company. “We search to find the irony (in living and experience) and to show what we (as people) believe in and how we behave.”

Evan Gore, one of the group’s veterans, notes that such bits help to make Second City special in the world of comedy: “Second City is unique in many ways, I think. We feel we’ve got a distinct and valuable place in American comedy. . . . We like to do challenging things to keep that.”

One thing that can’t be disputed is its longevity. Second City has been around for nearly 30 years, an accomplishment that may be unique in ensemble comedy. Originally formed in 1959 in Chicago (the name came from a put-down profile of the city published in the New Yorker), Second City boasts an alumni list that includes Joan Rivers, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, John Candy, Mike Nichols, Elaine May, Robert Klein and Shelley Long.

With its popularity growing during the 1960s, the troupe eventually formed sister companies, probably the best known being in Toronto. “SCTV,” the wildly inventive TV show, is also an offshoot of Second City.

The six members in the touring troupe may not have reached “big name” status, but the hopes are there.

Gore, who has been with Second City for two years, said the success of former “second citizens” is something that inspires current members. But he quickly added that it is important not to get carried away by the glories of the troupe’s past stars.

“Our booking agent bills us as ‘see the stars of tomorrow today,’ ” Gore said. “That’s nice (because there’s) not a person here who doesn’t like to think that it will happen, but I don’t think anybody tries to be Bill Murray . . . that would be like a sportswriter trying to be Ring Lardner.

“You have to (have a) realistic attitude and just do what you do best. Sure, you’d like to become famous and earn a lot of money, but you can’t dwell on it.”

The comics also can’t dwell on what an audience’s expectations might be, Gore noted. Some people may hope to see a new version of the late John Belushi, but members can only try to win them over by offering their own talents, he said.

“People usually forget about that (the accomplishments of former stars) once the shows get going. We all happen to think we are pretty good by ourselves.”

All of the touring members have spent a fair amount of time sharpening their comic timing (essential in the skits) and quick-thinking improvisation skills in Second City workshops in Chicago. In fact, Gore said, many members were invited to join the touring troupe after proving themselves in the demanding classes.

Most members also have a fair amount of professional experience. Gore, for example, worked with other Chicago improv groups for close to three years before joining the workshops.

Second City’s OCC performance will, for the most part, offer several situational vignettes (with definite characters, like the bar/Vietnam vets piece) that Gore describes as “the best of Second City.” Many of the bits, he said, have been popular at the group’s clubs and on the road for several years.

But the show will also feature improvisation, which has been a main foundation for Second City the last three decades.

These creative, loose skits, usually reserved for the last part of the performance, could get pretty adventurous because of the college audience, Gore noted.

“We like the colleges because they’re a good, free place to perform; a lot of our campus audiences are more interested in hearing about our genitalia and our flatulence,” Gore said without missing a beat.

“We’d get tamer elsewhere, like if we were performing in front of an association of rabbis or something--we’d probably leave out some swear words--but it may be fun tonight.”

Second City will perform tonight at 8 p.m. at the 1,200-seat Robert B. Moore Theatre, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. Information: (714) 432-5880.