Laughter on the 23rd Floor: April 2014

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Plot:  Set in 1953, Neil Simon’s “flat-out funniest play in years” (Dennis Cunningham, CBS- TV) re-creates the mayhem, neuroses, nonstop gags, and constant one-upmanship of a team of brilliantly funny social misfits as they write The Max Prince Show, a weekly variety program. Among the crew are Milt, the insult artist; Ira, the hypochondriac whose dream is to have a virus named after him; and Val, a Russian émigré‚ who takes a Berlitz course so he can curse without an accent. They are devoted to their boss, Max, a comic genius, a tyrant, and a paranoiac with a heart of gold. But his penchant for tippling and popping too many pills is growing under the pressures of a rising McCarthyism, network executives, and sponsors who want him to cut back his “too-smart” show and staff so that they can chase after the Leave It to Beaver and Father Knows Best audience.

Cast
Max Prince – Edward Mastin
Lucas Brickman – Dan Rowlands
Milt Fields – Lanny Freshman
Val Slotsky – Jim Magnarelli
Brian Doykle – Dustin M. Czarny
Kenny Franks – David Vickers
Carol Wyman – Gina Lynne Fortino
Helen – Crystal Rowlands
Ira Stone – Jim Uva

Crew

Director – Dustin M. Czarny
Stage Manager – Michelle Luzzii
Costumer – Capri Roach Merrifield
Props – Jennifer Reilly
Stage Design – Navroz N. Dabu
Lighting Design – Sarah Anson Rauscher