For you TV addicts, think of it as 30 Rock, only minus 50 years and with a lot more F-bombs. Or for those old enough to remember, The Muppet Show without puppets or Dick Van Dyke without Mary Tyler Moore—again with a healthy dose of swearing. Either way, tonight Topeka Civic Theatre and Academy opens their production of Laughter on the 23rd Floor, a gem from the master of stage comedies, Neil Simon.

Inspired by Neil Simon’s experience working for Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows, the play revolves around the writing staff for an early-50s comedy variety show. The production is a non-stop string of zingers and one-liners that come so quickly, they seem ready to trip over each other as the writing staff competes to be the funniest one in the room in order to please their insane boss, Max Prince. Things begin to spiral out of control as the NBC executives cut down the show’s time slot and budget, causing Prince to fall further into a substance-induced paranoia while the writers flail trying to hold things together. A little McCarthy-era fear is sprinkled into the background to put a little scare into all the players involved, leading to some of the play’s more raucous moments.

For the most part, the cast delivers its lines with great timing and a deadpan wit that play in perfect contrast with Ted Shonka’s laugh-out-loud, off-the-wall (and through-the-wall) portrayal of Prince. Walt Boyd does a great job as needling hypochondriac Ira Stone, so much so that it’s difficult not to want to strangle him yourself. The entire cast plays well off each other and, more importantly, they’re damn funny. Laughter on the 23rd Floor is an show you definitely won’t want to miss.

The show opens tonight and runs through June 19. Check out TCTA’s website for show and ticket information.

[by Lyle Vaughn | Photos courtesy of TCTA | May 2010]