The Hotline Always Blings Twice

LR: KIRSTEN RASMUSSEN, KEVIN WHALEN, KYLE DOOLEY. PHOTO BY RACHEAL MCCAIG.

The Second City's current Mainstage revue The Hotline Always Blings Twice showcases Torontonian/Canadian pop culture and lifestyle by poking fun at everything from Blue Jays Bandwagoners and the Uber vs. taxi battle to our love affairs with Drake and Justin Trudeau.

Directed by Second City veteran Chris Earle, Hotline features a freshly funny cast including Leigh Cameron, Kyle Dooley, Becky Johnson, Etan Muskat, Kirsten Rasmussen and Kevin Whalen. No topic is off-limits for this crew, as they tackle diverse matters such as Netflix bingewatchers, modern movie marketing, raccoon infestations, legal weed dispensaries, annoying Facebook friends and Syrian refugees with spot-on wit and timing.

The zany Kirsten Rasmussen is particularly watchable as a kooky kid at a concert recital and again as the young daughter of a grieving Blue Jays Bandwagoner (played by the always hilarious Kevin Whalen). Kyle Dooley also stands out as a fast-talking dating translator and later sports a fabulous flowing wig as a pop-singer version of our young and handsome Prime Minister—a skit that gets big laughs by comparing our highly positive PM to another famous JT.

Off-the-wall sketches, such as a ridiculously funny bit about a medium who becomes the unwitting victim of a supernatural prank, and another about bizarre marital confessions, balance nicely with the regional references and political humour sprinkled throughout the show.

Locals and visitors alike will fall for the irrestistible charm of The Hotline Always Blings Twice. Catch it until July 3, 2016 at The Second City (51 Mercer Street, at Blue Jay's Way, Toronto). Visit secondcity.com for more information and to buy tickets.