I! CAN'T! BREATHE!

From left to right, Stefan Kent as Ira, Paul Weir as Val, and Bart Elgar as Kenny in Laughter on the 23rd Floor at the Waukesha Civic Theatre. Photo credit: Anne Kenny Creative

A review of Laughter on the 23rd Floor

by Benjamin Earnest, age 13

Comedy, violence, and a dash of psychopathy: those are what you can expect from Laughter on the 23rd Floor at the Waukesha Civic Theatre. Welcome to the Max Prince Show folks, where all the comedic gold happens! Neil Simon’s 1993 play centers around a handful of writers on a television program called the Max Prince Show, where each character has their own old comedic mindset. The whole time I could not stop to breathe because of how funny the entire show genuinely is, and how the actors fit into each character.

Ira, who is played by Stefan Kent, is the most hilarious character I've seen in a show. His character enters the first scene screeching that he can't breathe. Ira is very expressive and obnoxious, at different points drawing in big letters an unexpected message on the office wall and swallowing lines torn from the script. He also made me laugh every time he came onstage because of his dramatic way of entering.

The set for the play I found unique because it is just a room that changes throughout the months in the show. The little details about the set were great, especially when Max Prince pretty much rages out and punches two holes in the wall. I could see that the set designer, Evan Crain, set two panels so Joe Ferrie (who plays Max) could know where to safely punch. In addition, the preview that I saw had some technical issues with the curtains not fully functioning, but I'm sure that the team fixed that.

At the end of the first scene in the second act, when they have the idea of putting on a sketch inspired by Julius Caesar, the cast has a funny song called “Roma,” sung to the tune of “Swanee.” I found this an amazing way to make the comedic play include musical elements. Ira is the one who is insisting that they shout at the Romans, so he bursts into song and has everyone else join in. It randomly shows off their singing voices which are actually really good.

Overall, I thought that it was the funniest show I've seen, and that people should have the chance to see this fantastic show. But I would recommend not to bring kids younger than teens because of the constant swears. It is showing October 17- November 2 at the Waukesha Civic Theatre.