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Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor at the Raven Theatre

Title: Laughter on the 23rd Floor
Venue: Raven East Stage (Chicago, IL)
Full Price: $15.00 - $25.00   Our Price: FREE - $12.50
Rating: 3.2 stars

Rated 3.2 by 53 members who went.

The Raven Theatre presents Laughter on the 23rd Floor. Based loosely on Simon's early career, when he worked for Sid Caesar's legendary Your Show of Shows alongside Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Woody Allen, the play tells the story of Max Prince, star of a '50s variety show, and the outrageous antics of his team of writers.

All dates for this event have expired. (find current Theatre events)
The last event was Saturday, Jul. 26 2008 @ 8:00pm. (view all dates)

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Members Who Went Said:

3 Star Rating
Written on
Jun 23 2008

Anonymous Member

Evanston theatergoer

Funny and well acted, a little loud and frenetic but, overall, we had a good time and some belly laughs. Never been to Raven before, we will go again. Nice space, looks like every seat is a good one, convenient parking.

2 of 2 people found this review useful
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3 Star Rating
Written on
May 05 2008

Anonymous Member

We thought it was great...very well done. We had seen it before, so we knew the story. But the production and the actors were all first rate.

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2 Star Rating
Written on
May 05 2008

Analisa

Analisa

While this was a comedy, it surprised me with the tragic elements (network censoring, loss of time slots, cancellation, etc.). I remember Show of Shows very fondly, even though I was probably too young to appreciate a lot of the adult/political humor. It was nice to see a tribute to it.

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More Details About This Event:

Laughter on the 23rd Floor was inspired by Simon’s own early-career experience churning out jokes for Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows, where he worked alongside Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Woody Allen. Laughter introduces a room full of oddball writers, many based upon actual personalities, including Simon himself. The Sid-Caesar-like character of Max Prince, star of a 1953 variety show, is a booze-guzzling, pill-popping comic genius who goes to any lengths to protect his team in the face of network cutbacks. This hilarious play chronicles the writing room’s outrageous antics and increasing stress levels under the pressures of rising McCarthyism and television executives resistant to sophisticated humor.

About Raven Theatre:

Raven Theatre's mission is to establish itself as an important voice in regional theatre focusing on American classics, as well as new and lesser-known projects that shed light on the "American Experience". The company's mission is realized by uniting an ensemble of Chicago based theatre artists from diverse disciplines who work together with the goal of maintaining a high standard of artistic excellence with programming easily accessible to patrons of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds, and thereby enriching our community's cultural life. Vigorously fresh revivals of masterpieces by great playwrights such as Miller, Williams, Saroyan and Mamet, introduce new audiences to established classics, while original and lesser-known works give voice to the next generation of playwrights. Through Raven's Children's Theatre Program the company seeks to present a wide range of theatrical education and entertainment options applicable across a broad academic spectrum.

About Raven East Stage:

The company's new 160-seat, state-of-the-art East Stage is a 3/4 thrust stage with a spacious lobby and ample support space, along with on-site parking.