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Photograph by Stephen Eckstone
Portraying the lively group of comedy writers in West Valley College's 'Laughter on the 23rd Floor' are, from left: Max Overland, Patrick Sieler, Warren Baker and Woody Harper. Steve DeFrisco is seated.
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West Valley production loaded with laughter
Show recalls Neil Simon's early TV days
By Shari Kaplan
Theater fans who enjoy laughing out loud and loudly, who get kicks from slapstick and who can appreciate humor ranging from light to dark are in for some entertaining evenings Nov. 19 through Dec. 5 at the West Valley College Theater.
Those are show dates of Laughter on the 23rd Floor, a Neil Simon play performed by a cast of matriculated WVC college students and community members.
This hit Broadway play, set in 1953, is a memoir of Simon's days as a junior joke-writer for comedian Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows, an early television comedy known for its looniness. The play's title comes from the organized insanity that took place on the 23rd floor of the NBC Broadcasting building in Rockefeller Center in New York.
All of the action takes place in the Writers' Room, where the joke-writers brainstorm their gags, lines and sketches, banter with one another, compete for Caesar's attention, and contend with bad news from the NBC powers-that-be, who plan to cut the show from 90 minutes to just one hour. According to Jim Callner, the WVC theater and film instructor who directs this local production, there's also an undercurrent of McCarthyism and its dreaded blacklisting.
The play's main male characters are based on the individuals Simon actually worked with on Your Show of Shows, many of whom went on to successful careers in television, movies and live theater. These include Caesar, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Larry Gelbart, Mike Stewart and Mel Tolkin.
"I think [Your Show of Shows] was the basis for most modern-day sitcoms and the kind of stand-up comedy sketches you see on shows like Saturday Night Live," says Callner, who says he likes to stay true to the script when directing plays and has done so here.
"Neil Simon is a great writer; there's no question about it. This isn't just fluff type stuff; it's history. It's also very funny!" he adds.
The Nov. 26 performance is a benefit for West Valley College's Students Handling Addictions, Recovery and Pressures (SHARP) program. All shows are general seating; admission is $10 for adults and $8 for students and senior citizens. The play contains some adult language that may not be suitable for all audiences. Call 408.741.2058 for show times or directions to the theater at 14000 Fruitvale Ave. in Saratoga.
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