Southgate Community Players present the Neil Simon comedy “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” May 10 to 19, with Mattie Raybuad (left) as Kenny Franks, Mike Stec as Ira Stone, Domingo Guzman as Milt Fields, Donald Corbin as Max Prince, Breann Blanton as Carol Wyman, Daniel Bartrum as Lucas Brickman, Conrad Szybisty as Val Skolsky, Isabella Kroczaleski as Helen and Kenny Konaszewski as Brian Doyle. For tickets and more information, go to scponstage.com.
Southgate Community Players present the Neil Simon comedy “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” May 10 to 19, taking audiences back to the ’50s with a play mirroring when Simon and his brother Danny were writers for the TV comedy variety programs “Your Show of Shows” and “Caesar’s Hour.”
Through his alter ego, Lucas Brickman, Simon follows the team of comedy writers through their antics and arguments in the writers’ room and their battles with the network executives while offering an inside glimpse at the social and political undercurrents of the era, including the rise of McCarthyism.
Director Sydnee Corbin said she fell in love with the show when she first saw it a few years ago.
“There is something special about peeking into a snippet in time and seeing behind the curtain of our favorite comedians,” she said. “Nearly every character portrayed has a real-life counterpart – Max Prince is based on Sid Caesar – so while it is somewhat fictionalized, we are still, in a way, watching history.”
Corbin said it has been magical watching the actors develop their personae and the group chemistry blossom.
“They draw you in so marvelously, you feel their triumphs and losses,” she said. “They make you laugh until you are in tears.”
Domingo Guzman, who plays Milt Fields, a character based on real-life screenwriter Sheldon Keller, said the show provides a well-gathered mix of comedic styles that “helps the soul and uplifts us.”
“This show casts a reflection of what the U.S. is going through for the current century,” he said. “In the end, it is comedy and the arts that help us get through these times.”
Guzman said the cast’s bonding and creative character creation freedom during rehearsals have brought out the best in the company.
“I hope the audience leaves with smiles and remember that laughter helps heal us in some way or another,” he said. “Laughter can always be found in our most vulnerable times.”
Conrad Szybisty, a longtime Neil Simon fan who plays Val Skolsky, said Simon’s writing and the characters he creates combine to make magic on stage.
“Sid Caesar’s writing team back in the ’50s was comprised of the great Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Selma Diamond and Woody Allen,” he said. “SCP has put together a cast of characters perfect for this madcap comedy drama that takes you back in time to a certain brand of comedy only Sid Caesar could pull off.”
Szybisty said he enjoys the process of creating and understanding his character while mastering the playwright’s words before allowing part of his own personality to inhabit the role.
“Performing the role certainly is the cherry on top, so to speak, but the process in getting there has always been a favorite of mine,” he said.
Szybisty said the show, in addition to being a fine example of Neil Simon’s writing, provides a storyline set in a specific time period.
“Back in the ’50s, the United States and other countries were just getting over the last war, and tensions with Russia, coupled with our own internal political issues, caused Americans to become political, and they needed a comic release,” he said. “Enter Sid Caesar and his band of comedy writers, which I am so glad that Neil Simon captured in his own hilarious and thought-provoking way.”
Mattie Raybaud, who plays Kenny Franks, said the show does have a good mix of humor.
“It has plenty of in-your-face silly moments that everyone can laugh at, but also some good, dry sarcasm that you need to pay attention to in order to get,” they said. “It’s pretty relatable and captures nuances of life in the American office work environment, and plenty who see the show will appreciate that.”
Raybaud said each rehearsal seemed to bring out another layer of the show’s comedy and brought new laughter to the cast.
“The sign of a good comedy show is that the cast still finds it funny after months of rehearsing the show,” they said. “I suspect we will be laughing at this one until the show closes.”
Raybaud hopes attendees enjoy the humor as well.
“I hope each audience member can remember something silly from the show and giggle at it one more time,” they said. “If the audience has fun with it, then it was all worth it.”
Others in the cast are Daniel Bartrum as Lucas Brickman, Kenny Konaszewski as Brian Doyle, Breann Blanton as Carol Wyman, Donald Corbin as Max Prince, Mike Stec as Ira Stone and Isabella Kroczaleski as Helen.
Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. May 10, 11, 17 and 18, with a 2:30 p.m. May 19 matinee at the Corner Playhouse, 12671 Dix-Toledo Road in Southgate.
Tickets are $15 for general admission and $13 for seniors and students. To order tickets online, go to scponstage.com.