Perth Voice Interactive

THERE’S an edge of darkness to Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor, despite the laugh-a-minute jokes that sent chuckles and guffaws around the State Theatre this week.

Set in 1953, on a fictitious 23rd floor of the Rockerfeller Plaza in New York the play is based on the life of legendary American comic Sid Caesar.

Caesar’s TV show went live every Saturday night and he was “best known as one of the most intelligent and provocative innovators of television comedy”, historian Susan Murray wrote.

Simon was one of the show’s scriptwriters and the play is based on his time with Caesar and co-writers including Mel Brooks, Woody Allen and Carl Reiner.

This “team of crazies” assembled at the beginning of the week to dream up ideas for the 90-minute sketch-comedy to be telecast live the next Saturday, director Kate Cherry says.

The result is a rapid-paced play that captures 1950s America, along with the hype and pressure-cooker atmosphere as the crew banter and bicker as they come up with witty dialogue.

But with audiences turning off and ratings slipping, Max Prince is under pressure from network bosses who think his show is too “sophisticated” for middle America. Budget cuts are cutting a little too deeply in the office and jobs are under threat.

It’s also a time when fear of communism is ramped up to bring a nation to heel, with Senator Joe McCarthy raising hell about reds under the bed and writers and actors facing employment oblivion if blacklisted by McCarthy’s now-infamous Committee for unAmerican Activities.

Rubber-faced Peter Rowsthorn is brilliant as Max Prince, funny, but at the same time clearly a man on the edge of a battle he knows he’s losing, and in the grip of addictions to tranquilisers and alcohol.

His fight scene with Ira Stone (Damon Lockwood) is hilarious.

James Sweeny as Lucas Brickman, aka Neil Simon, is at first hesitant, but soon gets into his role, although his brash, eager, young-gun American accent and enthusiasm takes me a while to get used to.

The only female of the crew, Carol, played by Jo Morris, gives a rousing speech about being a comedy writer, not a woman writer (and learning to “speak fuck” in this male domain) despite being heavily pregnant.

Lauren Ross’ set is a stand out winner, evoking a ‘50s office, backdropped by a New York skyline. She even manages to hide a massive Christmas tree until December when it springs to colourful life, and snow falling gently beyond the huge windows is a nice touch.

Laughter on the 23rd Floor is on at the State Theatre until September 21.

by JENNY D’ANGER