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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – South City Theatre is closing out its spring season with a return to one of its most memorable productions. Neil Simon’s “Laughter on the 23rd Floor,” a fast-paced comedy inspired by the playwright’s real-life experiences in a 1950s television writers’ room, opened Friday, June 13 under the direction of Clay Boyce and concludes on Saturday, June 21.

The production marks a full-circle moment for the theater, which last staged the show 15 years ago during its time in the Alabaster warehouse.

“We like to perform a show that we’ve done in the past,” said Donna Williamson, the artistic director at South City Theatre. “As we selected our 2024–25 season, that title kept coming up for consideration.”

Written in 1993, “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the golden age of television. Loosely based on Simon’s time writing for “Your Show of Shows” alongside comedy legends like Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner, the play captures the chaos, camaraderie and creative energy of a bustling writers’ room.

“According to the director, Clay Boyce, first and foremost, it’s a tribute to the golden age of television,” Williamson said. “It’s considered one of Neil Simon’s most personal plays… a peek behind the curtain of shows like Sid Caesar’s Show of Shows and ‘The Carol Burnett Show.’ Most of all, the play shows how office friendships make our work a little easier.”

While the play is rooted in the 1950s, its themes remain deeply relevant.

“At its core, ‘Laughter’ is a celebration of people,” Boyce said. “Some of us still work too hard and put all our energy into our jobs. Some women are still finding their way in male-dominated professions. Most of all, we still make friends. We love them and argue with them, but they are still our friends. And I hope every person who sees this show will see a bit of themselves in these ghosts from our past.”

Boyce believes the play’s timelessness lies in its humanity—and its humor.

“This play holds up the mirror to life and says, ‘It’s okay to laugh at this madness we call work and life,’” he said.

While the production carries Simon’s signature wit, the theatre is also mindful of the play’s mature language.

“This play contains frequent, mature language,” Williamson said. “We have noted that in numerous places, including our ticketing platform, newsletter, social media, prerecorded curtain speech and in the playbill. We usually don’t perform shows with this much strong language, but we hope all of these warnings are sufficient for our patrons.”

Despite the edgier tone, South City Theatre believes the show embodies its mission: bringing quality, thought-provoking entertainment to the local stage.

“We are giving audiences a glimpse into the past and hope they walk away from this show feeling they were entertained—and having laughed for two hours,” Williamson said.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Southcitytheatre.com.