Neil’s Simon’s hilarious salute to the golden age of comedy takes a fictionalized look at the backstage chaos that went into producing one of the landmark television shows of the early ‘50s. Simon had gotten his first big break as staff writer on Sid Caesar’s fabled television series, Your Show of Shows, and Laughter’s characters are said to be based on Caesar and those writers Simon worked with (including Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner).
The play turns the Whittier stage into the 23rd floor writing offices of the popular comedy-variety series,The Max Prince Show. There, we meet Max, his writing staff, and his secretary as they maneuver the backstage chaos of producing a top-quality weekly television show while under network pressures and the emergence of “McCarthyism”.
Like many of Simon’s works, the play is fast-paced, full of one-liners and physical antics. “The biggest challenge is timing,” said director Michael McElrath. “It has to be like a freight train on steroids.”
For more information contact San Juan Community Theatre, 378-3210.
Admission: Adults: $19; Students: $8
Date & Time: Thursdays – Saturdays Oct 17-26, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays October 20 – 27, 2:00 p.m.
Location: San Juan Community Theatre, 100 Second St.
