As part of its current mainstage season, the venerable York Theatre Company is presenting the musical Enter Laughing. The York typically reserves its mainstage slots for new works, and although the show's title may be new, the show itself is not.
Enter Laughing is actually a reworked version of So Long, 174th Street, a 1976 flop starring Robert Morse and George S. Irving (and a young Rita Rudner in the chorus), based on comedian Carl Reiner's early life and career. The York presented Enter Laughing last year as part of its Musicals in Mufti series ("mufti" being an Arabic word for "dressed in street clothes"), and the response was apparently so enthusiastic that the folks at the York decided to give the show a fully produced mainstage run.
I wish I could say that the York had rediscovered an under-appreciated gem, but alas I can not. Enter Laughing seems destined to remain a curious musical-theater footnote. In the program notes, the York would have you think that the reason the show didn't succeed was that Robert Morse was too old at the time for such a juvenile role, so the creators set the whole show as a flashback, with the forty-ish Morse playing himself at both ages. Well, the present production of the show removes that admittedly awkward conceit, but what remains isn't exactly great musical theater.
The show's plot involves a stage-struck and female-obsessed young man during the 1930s (the fictionalized Carl Reiner). The show is not without its charms, and features some moderately amusing set pieces, including the hysterical recreation of Reiner's first experience on stage. But the style of the show was thirty years out of date back in the '70s. I'm not saying that the idea is old-hat, although it's not very inspired. The show is old-fashioned not so much in conception as in execution. Joseph Stein's amusing-but-creaky book often does little to integrate Stan Daniels' somewhat tuneful score. The show is very stop-and-sing, with songs that seem to come out of nowhere, a practice that was outdated in the 1940s.
The show's main attraction is its stellar cast. What an unmitigated treat it is to see on stage a spry George S. Irving (who made his Broadway debut in the original frickin' cast of frickin' Oklahoma), recreating his role from the 1976 production. His sharp rendition of the salacious "Butler's Song" is reason enough to see the show. It was also great fun to see husband-and-wife team Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry share the stage. I've been a fan of these two talented actors since "L.A. Law," and although Tucker doesn't have much to do in the present show, Eikenberry puts a terrific spin on the stock Jewish mother character.
Janine LaManna gives a delightful turn as the man-hungry Angela, delivering "The Man I Can Love" with more hysterical, borderline psychosis that the song really deserves. It's nice to see LaManna back in form after her disappointing stint as Janet van de Graaf in The Drowsy Chaperone. But the real find here is Josh Grisetti in the lead role. Grisetti is a young actor with a very natural presence, a clarion-clear singing voice, and a natural gift for comedy. If there's any justice in show business, this kid is going places. Let's hope that he finds a vehicle soon that is more worthy of his multifarious talents.
UPDATE: The York Theatre has announced a two-week extension for Enter Laughing. The show is now scheduled to play through October 12th. It's worth a look, particularly for the terrific cast.
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