Rarely have I ever seen audience members literally doubling over with laughter at a show. Repeatedly. However, this was the case time and again at this past September's Enter Laughing: The Musical.
I was psyched to see the show, formerly entitled So Long, 174th Street, but the Mufti production surpassed all expectations.
The legendary George S. Irving (who has appeared in 32 Broadway shows!) performed the infamous 'Butler's Song' (He's screwing Dolores Del Rio...) with aplomb. (He was reprising his original Broadway role!) But other than this magnificently vulgar gem of a song, little of the show has been prominent since its Broadway run in 1976. This Mufti did what the best of Muftis at the York do: it unearthed a true gem. The show has matured extremely well, and the audience ate up every bit.
My favorite overheard comments during intermission were:
A) "Oh Margie, why didn't we see this when it was on Broadway? It must have been a huge hit!"
B) "Oy, I don't think I've laughed this much since The Producers."
C) "These PMS Cookies are fabulous!"
Josh Grisetti was perfectly cast as David, a teenager growing up in New York in the 1930's who wants more than anything to be an actor. The hilarity that ensues when David follows his dreams involves pushy Jewish mothers, mistaken identities, disastrous stage debuts, typically adolescent love affairs, sassy belting, bossy bosses, songs about accidental breast- touching, and tongue- in- cheek fantasy sequences that aren't to be believed.
L.A. Law's Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker were the pushy parents, Tony nominee Bruce Adler was the bossy boss, Kaitlin (bare! Grinch! Bat Boy!) was the actress David meets who begins to tempt him away from his amorous girlfriend Wanda (Emily Shoolin)...
In fact, Emily Shoolin got to deliver one of the best songs of the evening: "Men". It's a "Wherever He Aint", goodbye- and- good- riddance- style tune, with lyrical twists that only a teenage girl character could deliver.
I truly wanted to recommend this, one of my fave Muftis ever, to a bunch of people. Sadly, I saw the final 7pm Sunday performance.
I always have my cast album!
