Artist Baby Wants Candy (Chicago)

Improvised musicals tend to attract more polarized ends of the usual improv-audience spectrum: devout improv disciples fascinated with the extra twist of infusing melodies with the art form, and the uninitiated who just like to watch and couldn’t care less about the process under the hood. Since departing from its iO nest in late 2006—a bold move, considering it was one of the theater’s capstone shows—long-running improv troupe Baby Wants Candy has taken its followers to the slightly more scenic Apollo Theater. Making the trek is worth it: While BWC understandably touts its graduates (Jack McBrayer, Rachel Dratch, and Seth Meyers among them), there’s no sign of laurel-resting, nor is there opportunity to when a 60-minute improvised musical needs to happen.

Updated 12/17/2009