Laughter on the 23rd Floor
|
PO Box #672
Greenfield, Indiana 46140
(317) 477-ARTS
Christine C. Schaefer
CrazyLake's "Laughter on the 23rd Floor"
Captures Television History GREENFIELD, IN—The CrazyLake Acting Company will present Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor on January 17th, 18th, 24th, 25th, and 26th at the HJ Ricks Centre for the Arts in Greenfield.
Laughter on the 23rd Floor opens a window into the early days of television when variety shows and sketch comedy were king. Drawn from the real-life writing team of Sid Caesar's 'Your Show of Shows' [1950-1954], all of the characters in the play are based on real-life actors and comedy writers, including Woody Allen, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, and Neil Simon. Director Christine Schaefer says that working on Laughter on the 23rd Floor has turned the entire cast into history buffs. Cast member Dennis Cole agrees. "It's been absolutely fascinating to go back and watch YouTube clips from 'Your Show of Shows' to study character and comedic delivery," says Cole, who plays the Sid Caesar character of Max Prince. Chris Vetters, who plays Carol Wyman, a composite of two people: Lucille Kallen, the writer, and Selma Diamond, the actress, agrees. "My character was the role model for Sally on 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' and whenever there's a call for a gruff-voiced, chain-smoking female, it's Selma Diamond, they're thinking of. She's an enduring personality." The legacy of 'Your Show of Shows', on which Laughter on the 23rd Floor is based, lives on. Carl Reiner created the aforementioned 'Dick Van Dyke Show, which was centered around comedy writers who wrote for the fictional 'Alan Brady Show'. He later went on to create the 70s classic, 'All in the Family'. The movie 'My Favorite Year' also follows the model of comedy writers who worked for King Kaiser so it's no coincidence that the film featured a cameo by Selma Diamond as well. Even today, the enduring 'Saturday Night Live' follows the 'Your Show of Shows' format--90 minutes of live comedy. Finally, we come to our playwright Neil Simon, who wrote for 'Your Show of Shows'. "It must have had an incredible impact on him," says Patrick Gawrys-Strand, who plays the Neil Simon character of Lucas Brickman. "I mean, he wrote an entire play about it. And he himself says, 'I would have followed Max to the ends of the earth....'" Laughter on the 23rd Floor carries the torch forward. If you remember Sid Caesar, if you're a fan of Antenna TV, or if you just like to laugh, then you won't want to miss CrazyLake Acting Company's presentation of Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor on January 17th, 18th, 24th, 25th, and 26th at the HJ Ricks Centre for the Arts at 122 W. Main Street in Greenfield. Friday and Saturday shows are at 8 p.m.; the Sunday matinee is at 2 p.m. $10 advanced sale tickets are available at Hometown Comics; $12 at the door. Visit the CrazyLake Acting Company Facebook page or call 317-477-ARTS for reservations or more information. |
