Comedian Community, a Light Commiseration

Laughter on the 23rd floor is the bittersweet tale of the office hijinks of a group of writers for a '50s variety show, starring the comedian Max Prince (Nicholas Meunier '02). Not much happens in the way of plot--there are two meetings and a Christmas party--but Simon makes up for it by creating a hilarious group of eccentrics, which the cast of this production brought to life with great success.

The standout in a very strong cast is Reihan Morshed Salam '01 as Ira. He provoked laughter from the first moment he stumbled onstage as the hysterical, perpetually tardy hypochondriac of the group. Whether throwing shoes out the window after a contest with Brian (Daniel Brunet), writing "I have a brain tumor" on the wall as "proof" of his illness or fighting with Max over a line, Salam stole the show whenever he got a chance. He had quite a bit of competition from Milt (Geoff Oxnard '99), the womanizing flashy dresser, and Val (Fred Hood '02), the choleric Russian head writer. Hood's convincing Russian accent and snappish attempts to impose order on chaos and Oxnard's goofy, sardonic grin--employed as a rebound from the most outrageous situations, inappropriate comments and stupid outfits--were as funny and memorable as any of Ira's fits. Hanna Stotland '99 made the most of her supporting role as Helen, the perky secretary who remains nonplussed in spite of the crazy demands placed on her by the writers and who dreams of joining them one day. Rounding out the supporting cast was Marisa Chandler '99 as Carol, holding her own as the only woman in a gang of men, and William Maskiell '99 the "boy genius" Kenny.

The bittersweet aspect of the play came from the constant reminders that this time would not last, or, as one character put it, "We just lived through history." The different acts of the play were framed by commentary from the narrator, Lucas (Christopher Sahm '01), who is plays the young, timid novice in the background while his narration reflects the experience of an older man. Both outside forces--the network's lack of support for the show, the repressive atmosphere of the McCarthy era--and internal ones threaten the happy time represented by Laughter, as time itself brings changes to all of the characters Max, the star of the show, is a pill-popping alcoholic whose addictions only grow worse; Carol and Milt face motherhood and divorce respectively; and Brian makes good on his oft-stated declaration that he is going to leave for Hollywood. This did not detract from the laughs generated from the play but only made them more poignant.

Laughter on the 23rd Floor is both a raucous comedy and a sentimental evocation of a great era that has passed. For despite the Communist-baiting fears and the network's lack of appreciation for the show, the writers are bound together by loyalty and fondness for each other and for Max. This affection is humorously shown through Ira's determination to extract a declaration of love from Max during their fight and more seriously demonstrated in Max's vow to keep all of his writers on the payroll despite budget limitations. Thus the play does not end with Lucas' speech describing in end of the show, the parting of ways of the writers and the defeat of McCarthy, but with Milt calling him back to the Christmas party in progress; the golden age is extended a little longer, past the finale. This production did an excellent job of recreating it from Simon's text and of doing so in a way that left the audience laughing.