Archives for July 7, 2011

This is, or purports to be, the original laugh-track machine, invented by Charles Douglass in 1950:

I remember some of those canned laughs!

Here’s my list of recommended Broadway, off-Broadway, and out-of-town shows, updated weekly. In all cases, I gave these shows favorable reviews (if sometimes qualifiedly so) in The Wall Street Journal when they opened. For more information, click on the title.

BROADWAY:

• Anything Goes (musical, G/PG-13, mildly adult subject matter that will be unintelligible to children, closes Jan. 8, reviewed here)

• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (musical, G/PG-13, perfectly fine for children whose parents aren’t actively prudish, reviewed here)

OFF BROADWAY:

• Avenue Q (musical, R, adult subject matter and one show-stopping scene of puppet-on-puppet sex, reviewed here)

• The Fantasticks (musical, G, suitable for children capable of enjoying a love story, reviewed here)

CLOSING SOON OFF BROADWAY:

• Play Dead (theatrical spook show, PG-13, utterly unsuitable for easily frightened children or adults, closes July 24, reviewed here)

CLOSING NEXT WEEK IN CHICAGO:

• The Front Page (comedy, PG-13, extended through July 17, reviewed here)

CLOSING NEXT WEEK IN PITTSBURGH:

• House & Garden (two related serious comedies, PG-13, closes July 17, reviewed here)

CLOSING NEXT WEEK IN PITTSFIELD, MASS.:

• Guys and Dolls (musical, G, closes July 16, reviewed here)

CLOSING NEXT WEEK OFF BROADWAY:

• A Little Journey (drama, G, extended through July 17, reviewed here)

CLOSING NEXT WEEK ON BROADWAY:

• The Motherf**ker with the Hat (serious comedy, R, adult subject matter, closes July 17, reviewed here)

“A musical is an incredibly complicated piece of machinery. You can have all the elements, the right songs, the right book, the right cast, the right director, the right costume designer–and the lighting man can screw it up.”
Johnny Mercer, in conversation with Gene Lees (quoted in Lees’ Portrait of Johnny, courtesy of Michael Greenspan)