Weekend Edition Saturday, March 1, 2008 · The Second City — the famous Chicago improvisation comedy troupe — is taking shots at the presidential candidates. Its most recent revue, Between Barack and a Hard Place, is one of the most popular Second City shows in recent years. It equally skewers Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, both of whom have called Chicago home.

Along the stairs of the old, dark and drafty main stage theater is proof of how significant a role the group has played in the evolution of American comedy. Hanging on the wall are pictures of old casts — very young faces of Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and John Belushi, as well as Mike Myers, Chris Farley, Steve Carrell and Tina Fey.

There are reminders of Aykroyd portraying President Nixon, and hints that the seeds of Stephen Colbert's "truthiness" were sown here. So, it's no surprise that some of the sharpest takes on the 2008 presidential race are right here, too.

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