Hot on the heels of Greg Fleet’s auspicious playwriting
debut at The Blue Room, another well-known comedian features in a play, this
time Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor.
In this, Peter
Rowsthorn, he of the rubbery contortions, plays the titular star of 50’s
television smash, The Max Prince Show. Staged at the Heath Ledger Theatre by
Black Swan this is a funny play indeed. Yet Rowsthorn doesn’t dominate in a
measured performance where he is surrounded by an excellent supporting cast.
There are plenty of laughs to go around which is appropriate
as the play is set in the writing room of said show. Given that the legendary
Simon worked in television at the beginning of his career, part of the joy is
in spotting the famous people who have inspired this roster of writers. Max
Prince himself is based on Sid Caesar and Ira Stone is more than channeling
Mel Brooks, for example.
Beneath the one-liners, the wordplay and bouts of physical
comedy, there is an undertow of serious subject matters on Simon’s mind.
Senator McCarthy’s tentacles are felt as the fear of being Blacklisted is ever
present; and there is not-so-subtle commentary about the dumbing down of
television as the network demands more ‘shit’ so they can sell more ‘shit’. Both
of these threats present the characters with the dilemma of self-censorship, acquiescence,
possible unemployment or even worse with McCarthyism running amok. What then
the responsibility of the writer to stand up to the perversion of democratic
process and rights? As Russian-American Val Skolsky (Igor Sas) states, first
they go after the politicians then they go after the writers.
Predominantly though this is a witty exploration of a group
of quirky characters who, let’s face it, do a pretty quirky job – making people
laugh. Humphrey Bower plays the colourful Milt Fields who dresses in style to
be ‘somebody’. Bower is very convincing and contributes many droll asides as we
discover how competitive this room is. Sas is a standout as Skolsky, all angst
and anguish with a thick Russian accent that was never hard to follow. James
Sweeny, the cipher for Simon himself as Lucas Brinkman, is all fresh-faced
earnestness and our narrator. He plays the shy, sweet newcomer well and is a
nice counterpoint to the more cynical veterans of the writing staff.
Stuart Halusz is the voice of reason as Kenny Franks and it’s
interesting watching the dynamics of the group as they all vie for Max’s
attention and, more importantly, get their lines in the show. Damon Lockwood
arrives late in the first act but then his character, the hypochondriac Ira
Stone, is always late. Lockwood gives a funny performance as the whining,
anxiety-crippled Stone who is certain of his pre-eminence as the best writer.
Jo Morris plays the only female writer on staff, Carol Wyman, and she does so
with spunk and intelligence. It’s telling when Wyman demands to be treated and
regarded as a good writer not merely a female writer given the cutthroat nature
of the business, especially when one member of the staff has to be let go.
Ben Mortley sports an Irish accent as Brian Doyle who is
always signing a deal to go to Hollywood with his latest screenplay. His
character has a prickly relationship with Stone which gives Mortley licence to
land some verbal jabs as one of the blunter characters. Lara Schwerdt is the
secretary Helen who is competent officiousness but, perhaps unfortunately, is
played for laughs as an aspiring comedy writer herself late in proceedings. That
she comes across as ditzy here undercuts the stance taken with Carol.
Then there is Mister Rowsthorn himself. He is good as Max
Prince – paranoid the network is out to get him, forgetful, occasionally lost
in a daze of pills, impulsive, good-natured and ultimately protective of his
troops even though there are moments of spite. There is a memorable sequence as
he plays Julius Caesar (in a sketch they are writing) where Rowsthorn gives
full rein to his signature brand of physical humour but other than some wall
punching he is quite restrained which makes this truly an ensemble piece.
The set is astonishingly good with the New York skyline as
the backdrop through large windows and the writers’ room beautifully furnished
and appointed. The final scene is so beautifully lit with the inclusion of a
surprise prop that looked wonderful as snow falls ‘outside’ that I almost forgave
the play lingering a little long and ending on too sentimental a note.
Otherwise, this is tremendous entertainment with snappy writing and a great
cast working on a wonderful set.
Directed by Kate Cherry, Written by Neil Simon and starring Humphrey Bower,
Stuart Halusz, Damon Lockwood, Jo Morris, Ben Mortley, Peter Rowsthorn, Igor
Sas, Lara Schwerdt and James Sweeny, Laughter on the 23rd Floor is
on at the Heath Ledger Theatre until 21 September.
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