The Second City touring company is back in Orlando Credit: Timothy M. Schmidt

Legendary improv institution the Second City’s touring production, “Laugh Harder, Not Smarter,” is a night of professionally unhinged sketch comedy.

Sixty-seven years after its founding, the ensemble is still practicing untamed improv and spirited sketch. The group’s specialization in improvisation guarantees that every performance is unique.

The Chicago-founded group was the launchpad for many well-known comedians, including Joan Rivers, Martin Short, Alan Arkin, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Catherine O’Hara, Jason Sudeikis, Amy Poehler, Steve Carell, John Candy, Jane Lynch, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Keegan-Michael Key. If you’re looking for the birth of modern comedy, you couldn’t do better than a night with the Second City.

Friday-Saturday, Feb, 27-28, Alexis and Jim Pugh Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center, 445 S. Magnolia Ave., drphillipscenter.org, $53.

Orlando’s daily dose of what matters. Subscribe to The Daily Weekly.

This article appears in Feb. 25-March 3, 2026.