'Laughter' is a nostalgic ride back to the funny '50s

By Myra Yellin Outwater
Special to The Morning Call


''Laughter on the 23rd Floor,'' Neil Simon's poignant recollection of his days as a junior writer for Sid Caesar, takes its audiences back to the 1950s and a time when Caesar's ''Your Show of Shows'' reigned supreme on television. Set in 1953, the show which is being presented by the Pennsylvania Playhouse, is told by Simon's alter ego Lucas Brickman (Jeff Chirico), who outlines the day-to-day antics of the writing team on the ''Max Prince Show.'' The play focuses on the moment when Max (played by Pat Kelly) is faced with the pressures of rising ''McCarthyism'' and network executives who want to decrease his writing staff and cut his ''too-smart'' 90-minute show to an hour so that they can chase after the ''Leave It to Beaver'' and ''Father Knows Best'' audience.

''Laughter'' combines Simon's wit and theatrical nostalgia in a fast-paced evening of one liners and dramatic comic confrontations. Simon's characters were modeled on his fellow writers — Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Woody Allen, Lucille Kallen, Larry Gelbart and Mel Tolkin — all of whom worked for Caesar and were among the highest paid writers in America.

Says director Ralph Montesano: ''Sid Caesar was known to have had a volatile temper and was always exploding. He was also a very controlling man and watching Pat [Kelly] play Max is great fun. Pat is very funny and he is doing a great job at trying to control his anger.''

Pete Sanchez plays Ira, the Woody Allen character.

''Pete is absolutely authentic,'' says Montesano. ''From the beginning you recognize Woody as Pete creates this character of this always late Jewish hypochondriac who is always complaining about viruses.''

''Laughter on the 23rd Floor,'' 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 6 p.m. Sunday, through June 19, Pennsylvania Playhouse, Illick's Mill Road, Bethlehem. Tickets: $18; $15, seniors and students Friday and Sunday. 610-865-6665, http://www.paplayhouse.org .