ENTER LAUGHING, THE MUSICAL

Previous to this, I had been to the newish-yet-already-established Wallis Annenberg Theatre For the Performing Arts just twice, so I had no idea there were two theatres in the edifice that was once the Beverly Hills Post Office! That was an interesting surprise for me.

Enter Laughing, The Musical could have easily played in the bigger of the two, and judging by what a hit it is, maybe it should have! You may enter the theatre normally for this one, but you’ll definitely leave laughing! It’s been sold out for a while, but they added a week, so if you act fast, you can still get in on the action.

The musical is based on the book by Joseph Stein, which in turn is based on the novel by none other than the fabulous Carl Reiner. Carl wrote this semi-autographical story way back in the day; it’s about his entrance into show business, and I think that everyone in America is aware of just how funny he is. I used to know him back when I was doing my show, Karen’s Restaurant Revue, and he was always so kind, which made me more of a fan of his than I already was since I was a little girl. But somehow, I had never read his novel, nor even seen the old movie based on it, so all of this hilarious material was new to me.

First, a word about the Lovelace Studio Theater, which is on the first floor of the building. It’s pretty small, but it’s stadium seating, so there are no bad seats. (The only thing is, it was roasting in there on the night I attended, and I’ve heard that that was also the case on other nights. So, dress in layers, and remember to ask them to put the air-conditioning on. You’ll be happy you butted in.)

You all know that unlike other reviewers who feel they have to tell you the entire storyline of every show, for whatever unknown reason, I always let you just discover it for yourselves. But I will say that it’s about a young Jewish boy, in 1930s New York, who wants to become an actor. That’s really all you need to know. The story and dialogue are very funny on their own, but the addition of the brilliant songs by Stan Daniels, (of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Taxi fame,) add soooo much to the fun. There really isn’t a down moment in the entire show.

My co-members of the audience roared from start to finish. And getting to see the actors so up-close and personal made it even more special for everyone.

Almost the entire cast, comprised of many recognizable faces, (but you don’t know from where until you read the program, which you should always do, anyway,) is beyond excellent. But the absolute, hands-down, undisputed treasure is Nick Ullett as the impresario of the theater the kid tries to get into. His delivery of his solo musical number, The Butler’s Song, is impeccable. The man is truly an actor.

The only tiny weakness is the parents. While the mother, played by Anne DeSalvo, has two cute songs, her voice is so off-key that I couldn’t really enjoy them. And the father, Robert Picardo, is just sort-of colorless in a colorful production. He lacks the warmth and charm that all the others seem to possess. Plus, they looked like the guy’s grandparents, not parents, so it was a tad confusing.

Other than that, the show is a real winner! The kid, played by Noah Weisberg, and the three girls, Amy Pietz, Janet Dacal, and Sara Niemietz, all have excellent voices. I was especially a fan of Noah’s voice, and would have loved to hear even more from him. My teensy problem with him is that he seemed to be doing John Lovitz’s Master Thespian character from Saturday Night Live, with a little Adam Sandler mixed in occasionally. While those may be good role models, and Noah’s characterization definitely works in this show, I’m not a fan of derivative characters. But I’m not really sure that’s what he was doing; it may just be a fluke that he sounds like those guys.

This musical has actually been around since 1976, when it was, sadly, a flop on Broadway. It was revived off-Broadway, (in what I believe is this version,) in 2008, and now we in Los Angeles are finally lucky enough to have it here.

This is one show I had a good feeling about going in. It’s directed by Stuart Ross, who also directed one of my favorite shows of all time, Forever Plaid, so I knew it would be in good hands. There are so many clever little touches, and I have the feeling a lot of them came from him.

[Note: During the show, I made a note that there was a song about suicide, though I don’t remember which song it was. I just know it comes before the Butler song. I made note of it because, even though it’s in a comedy, I feel that joking about suicide is so wrong nowadays.]

Okay, I don’t want to end on the above note, because 99.9% of Enter Laughing, The Musical is wonderful. I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t agree. So go see it for yourself already! (Read that last sentence as a Jewish mother would say it, to get you in the mood for the show.)

Enter Laughing, The Musical running through March 6, 2015
Wallis Annenberg Theater For The Performing Arts
9390 N. Santa Monica Boulevard Beverly Hills
www.thewallis.org