IN A CITY where a big green Muppet is a mascot, a bell is a landmark and a man walking the streets dressed in Colonial garb is no cause for concern, a sense of humor is almost as essential as a thorough understanding of how to order a cheesesteak.
"This place is a hotbed of crazy," said Sara Garonzik, who claims to have been in Philadelphia since "ancient times."
As artistic director of the Philadelphia Theatre Company, Garonzik was instrumental in importing Chicago's famed sketch and improv group, the Second City, for "City of Nutterly Love: Funny as Bell!," which opened July 8 and runs through Sunday at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre.
Second City, perhaps best-known for jump-starting the careers of megastars ranging from Alan Arkin to Upper Darby's own Tina Fey, has begun designing shows for cities other than Chicago.
Philly seemed like an obvious choice.
"There's a lot going on that's ripe for addressing," said Garonzik. "We've got a lot . . . that's not about Rocky and cheese-steaks and hot pretzels."
Second City's Ed Furman spent a long weekend in town with cowriter T.J. Shanoff to immerse himself in local culture. He was glad to find that Philly had so much going on. "Whenever there are lots of things," he explained, "there are lots of things that are funny."
While the two writers and the director, Bill Bungeroth, are based in Chicago, the cast of six is evenly split between imported Second City regulars and native Philadelphians. About 80 actors tried out for the three spots reserved for locals, and the whole cast had just three weeks together to rehearse.
"It's been like summer camp," said Bungeroth, whose parents live in the area. "It's been great to be back."
Mary Carpenter, a local cast member who has been performing at ComedySportz for 17 years, explained that the Philly actors offered a firsthand perspective, as well as help with pronunciation and terminology. (At a recent rehearsal, Carpenter was dubbed the "official dialect coach.")
Though she was born here, Carpenter was still surprised by some of what Shanoff and Furman came up with after just a few days in the field. "I knew there was going to be something about so and so, but I didn't know they were going to do it this way," Carpenter said vaguely, reluctant to reveal show specifics for fear of spoiling the jokes.
Garonzik was a little more willing to tip her hand.
"We had to get some sports stuff in there, plus Nutter, and a list of crazy eccentricities about Philadelphia that only an outsider would see," she explained. "Like buying liquor at the state store - like, what is that?"
For Carpenter, those eccentricities are not only a source of humor but a source of pride: "You know what I think is great about Philadelphia? There's just so many quirky things that are fantastic about it."
Even with such a short time to get up to speed on all things Philly, Furman said he was determined to "celebrate the odd and unique without being deprecating."
"We laugh at our idiosyncrasies," he said. "We laugh when we see ourselves."
"The crowd seems to really be up for being satirized," agreed Bungeroth, who found that during previews, the audience responded best to hyper-local humor. "I think Philly people are cynical but playful."
"City of Nutterly Love" also gives the Philadelphia Theatre Company a chance to play an active role in Philly's burgeoning comedy scene, which has undergone explosive growth in recent years.
"Philadelphia's become this red-hot comedy and improv town," said Garonzik. "It's a scene that I've admired from off to the side."
Garonzik is excited to showcase local comedic talent, and Carpenter hopes that the show can introduce new audiences to improv, which she described as "one of the coolest things ever."
"We're pushing beyond what's already the accepted perception of what comedy is," she explained.
In addition to the scripted sketches and songs, the cast presents a third act of every show that is entirely improvised, and each Friday night features a different local improv group performing a full set. (Cecily and Gwendolyn, a duo that just participated in Philly's first all-women comedy festival, will perform after Friday's show.)
In the end, "City of Nutterly Love" is defined by its focus on local talent and local quirks, and - despite all the jokes at Philly's expense - Bungeroth called the show "a love letter to the city."
"There's a lot that's funny or unique or strange about the city that we might not think about as being strange or funny because we're in it," said Garonzik. "But if you pull the camera back and think about it, you think: Wow, this is a crazy place." *
"City of Nutterly Love: Funny as Bell!" runs through Sunday at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, 480 S. Broad St., showtimes 8 p.m. tomorrow through Friday, 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday, $39, 215-985-0420 or philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.