Chicago Tribune
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Various attempts are made to embrace the anniversary, by Anthony LeBlanc and the rest of the cast, but the show doesn’t seem to know how far to go in that regard. (I say it should have spoofed the whole thing mercilessly or stayed away completely.) There are some references to past Second City styles, but an effort to go back to 1959 in a prom montage through the decades felt more rote than genuinely creative. At the top of Act 2, it was announced that Second City has never featured a solo from a musical director and thus Ruby Streak would now play one. Streak is a gifted musician, but you can see why Second City has never featured such a solo."
Chicago Sun Times
- Recommended
"...St. Clair and Morris are funny as Starbucks-sipping Chicago beat cops in geeky shorts. And France's hot first couple, Nicolas Sarkozy (Morris) and Carla Bruni (Lauren Ash, all panache as she talks up socialism) are ideal, though the audience's limp questions failed to create sparks."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...There's not a single attempted star turn in this 97th main-stage revue, directed by Mick Napier. The streamlined two-hour show never pauses long enough to give anyone a chance to show off, and never stoops to the kind of Big Obvious Idiocy SNL performers rely on. Nothing seems to matter to Napier except getting to the comedic point. This is the rare comedy sketch show in which the material upstages the performers."
Windy City Times
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Such timely subjects as shoddy healthcare, mysterious diseases and menacing traffic cameras are still too much immersed in uncertainty to inspire line-in-the-sand stances, and the sketch involving a collegiate folk-singer who holds his audience hostage with the threat of his suicide never fulfills the promise of its premise. But the pair of latte-sipping, shorts-and-helmet-clad ( "They love it when you ride through Boystown" ) , bicycle-patrolmen offer wry and cogent commentary on the futility of their efficacy as agents of law enforcement."
Copley News Service
- Highly Recommended
"...The ensemble is mostly mainstage veterans—Emily Wilson, Shelly Grossman, and Lauren Ash on the female side and Anthony LeBlanc, Brad Morris, and Andy St. Clair representing the males, though the men spent one skit wearing wigs as mothers in drag. The star of the evening is Wilson, a versatile actress/singer who is attached to most of the top materials in the show. St. Clair and Morris also benefit from some of the revue’s best bits and make the most of their opportunities."
Centerstage
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Second City, the world's most famous live comedy theater, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, which will inevitably lead to reminiscing about its past glories. Its newest sketch comedy revue, "Taming of the Flu," is a lot of fun, but falls a bit short of glory."
Chicago Stage and Screen
- Recommended
"...As always, the Second City talents are able to take our minds off these and allow us to laugh until our sides hurt. Yes, two hours later we may rethink about what we were trying to forget, but for those hours during and immediately after the show, we were free of the stress of everyday life. That is what a show like this should do, allow us to have some fun."
Chicago Theater Beat
- Highly Recommended
"...Compared to Tamiflu, laughter may not be the best medicine, but I defy anyone to leave this show not feeling better than when he went in. If it doesn’t cure what ails you,* at least you’ll forget your suffering for a while."
