Laughter on the 23rd Floor

The Red Monkey Theater Company

Directed by Carin Zakes

Produced by Tal Aviezer and Holland Renton

Red Monkey Theater Group's "Season Among Friends" concludes with Neil Simon's hilarious cold war roman a clef, based on his experiences working on The Sid Caesar Show and Your Show of Shows, takes the audience into a brilliant but beseiged writers' room during the golden age of TV comedy.

April 18-19 & 23-26, 2015
Cahill Theater, College of Mount Saint Vincent:
Thur-Sat at 8pm, Sun at 2pm

Cahill Theater
College of Mt St Vincent
6301 Riverdale Ave.
Riverdale, NY 10471

Cast
Lucas Brickman - Mike Marcou
Milt - Justin Bennett*
Val Slotsky - Peter Green
Brian Doyle - Joe Laureiro
Kenny Franks - Monty Renfrow
Carol Wyman - Ella Smith
Max Prince - Matt Gordon
Helen - Emma Miller
Ira Stone - Tal Aviezer
*appears courtesy of Actors' Equity Association

Production Team
Producers: Tal Aviezer & Holland Renton
Director: Carin Zakes
Stage Manager: Rachel Tamarin
Set Designer: Zach Serafin
Costume Designer: Carolyn J. Fuchs
Lighting Designer: David Ullman
Sound Designer: Ben Tamarin
Master Electrician: Matt Cleary
Assistant Stage Managers: Hannah-Ruth Civita, Chris Hattar
Lighting Operator: Will Spitzer
CMSV Student Intern: Frank Angeles
Poster Design: Holland Renton

Directors Note

Laughter on the 23rd Floor

Sid Caesar’s “Show of Shows” was a live 90-minute variety show that aired during the early golden days of television. Its style was a pre-cursor to the now familiar sitcom, or sketch comedy featured on programs such as SNL.

Neil Simon, who got his start on the show, worked alongside writers who would go on to create some of the most influential and iconic comedy and programming of the 20th century.

The play is set in 1953, at a time when the House Un-American Activities Committee and Sen. Joseph McCarthy were investigating and targeting writers and intellectuals. Laughter is Simon’s homage to that time and place. His themes of freedom from censorship and the importance of artistic expression remain especially relevant in today’s political climate. Today, comedians like Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and their contemporaries understand that the word, especially the comedic word, can change the world. 

Thank you to the amazing cast for trekking your talents to the Bronx. Thank you to Tal, Holland, Carrie and the stellar production staff and crew at Red Monkey who have provided me such support. The Cahill was a warm place to spend many a winter evening. I can’t remember a rehearsal process with more laughter.

Welcome to the writer’s room, on the 23rd floor.

Sit back, sharpen your pencils and enjoy the show.

Carin Zakes

April, 2015