George Wendt has become accustomed to being greeted with good-natured shouts of “Norm!”—a reference, of course, to his beloved Cheers character. But lately the 68-year-old Chicago native has been bracing himself for a coming onslaught of insults. On September 9, a cabal of friends and collaborators will lovingly razz the veteran actor at his comedic alma mater, Second City. I Can’t Believe They Wendt There: The Roast of George Wendt will feature Bob Odenkirk, Keegan-Michael Key, Julia Sweeney, David Koechner, Betty Thomas, Jeff Tweedy, among others, as well as roast master Jason Sudeikis, who happens to be Wendt’s nephew. The cheapest tickets start at $500 (yikerz!), but 80 percent of that money goes directly to two charities: Gilda’s Club Chicago and the Second City Alumni Fund. They say we roast the ones we love, and that’s certainly true in the case of Wendt. But speaking over the phone in advance of the event, he sounded like he might take things a bit personally.
Honestly, I couldn’t think of anything else I knew I wouldn’t hate. I got hired on to the [Second City] touring companies, and [at the end of shows] we would take suggestions, hang them on a corkboard, and stare at them. I felt like such a dullard. [My mind] was a complete blank. Other cast members, particularly Nancy Kelly, would come up with ideas and grab me. Once I was onstage with something somebody else had laid out, I was kind of OK. So it’s not so much the improv that bugs me, it’s the idea part. At the risk of sounding New Agey, if you’re thinking, you’re dead.
Television is very different today than it was during your Cheers run. The prestige shows attract film directors and movie stars. What are your thoughts on returning to TV?
I remember seeing John Malkovich talking to David Letterman [on The Late Show]. Letterman said, “I understand you prefer theater to feature films,” and [Malkovich] goes, “I don’t particularly like my performance to be framed, focused. It’s not something I particularly need help with.” In theater, you’re still saying the playwright’s words, and the director obviously has huge input. Once they fuck off, you and your fellow players and the audience give it a good run. Theater is by far the most fun. The multicamera sitcom, which has sadly gone away I guess, was a nice blend, because we had a live audience.
Why’s that?
Sat 9/9, 7 PM Second City 1616 N. Wells 312-337-3992secondcity.com $500-$3,000
