Enter Laughing
Enter Laughing is a two-act comedy play by Joseph Stein, adapted from Carl Reiner's 1958 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, centering on the comedic misadventures of a young Jewish delivery boy in 1930s New York who defies his parents to pursue a career in acting.[1] The story follows protagonist David Kolowitz as he auditions for a role in a struggling theater company, navigates romantic entanglements, and faces a chaotic debut performance filled with mishaps.[1] The play premiered on Broadway at the Henry Miller's Theatre on March 13, 1963, directed by Gene Saks and starring Alan Arkin in the lead role, alongside Vivian Blaine, Irving Jacobson, Alan Mowbray, Meg Myles, and Sylvia Sidney.[1] It ran for 419 performances and received acclaim for its humorous portrayal of show business aspirations, with Arkin earning the 1963 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play and a Theatre World Award.[2][3] Enter Laughing was adapted into a 1967 film directed by Carl Reiner, featuring Reni Santoni as David Kolowitz, with supporting performances by José Ferrer, Shelley Winters, and Elaine May.[4] The property was later adapted into the musical So Long, 174th Street (book by Stein, music and lyrics by Stan Daniels), which premiered on Broadway in 1976 and closed after 16 performances. It was revised and premiered off-Broadway as Enter Laughing: The Musical in 2008, with a revival at the York Theatre Company in 2019 as part of their 50th anniversary celebration.[5][6][7]Background and development
Source novel
Enter Laughing is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Carl Reiner and published in 1958 by Simon & Schuster.[8] The book draws directly from Reiner's own early life as the son of Jewish immigrant parents in the Bronx during the 1930s, where he harbored ambitions to become an actor despite working odd jobs such as a machinist's helper to support his family.[9][10] Reiner, born in 1922 to a Romanian-born mother and an Austrian-born father who worked as a watchmaker, developed a passion for performing as a teenager, studying acting and eventually joining a touring theater company, experiences that heavily influenced the novel's portrayal of youthful theatrical aspirations amid economic hardship.[11] The core narrative follows protagonist David Kolowitz, a 17½-year-old delivery boy from a protective immigrant Jewish family, who indulges in elaborate daydreams of stardom while navigating family pressures to pursue a stable career.[8][12] Renaming himself Don Coleman to sound more stage-worthy, David enrolls in the Marlowe School of Performing Drama, where he encounters comedic mishaps in auditions and rehearsals, balances romances with two young women, and ultimately performs in a play attended by his skeptical relatives.[8] These elements reflect Reiner's encounters with the vibrant world of New York theater, including influences from vaudeville traditions and the Yiddish stage that shaped his early comedic sensibilities.[13] Upon release, the novel was praised for its humorous tone and energetic depiction of a light-hearted coming-of-age tale, capturing the exuberance of a young man's entry into show business.[8] Reviewers noted its brash comedy and relatable themes of ambition and family conflict, though some critiqued occasional vulgarity and uneven execution.[8] The book's popularity as an accessible, laugh-out-loud story of self-discovery laid the groundwork for its later adaptations.[12]Play adaptation
Joseph Stein adapted Carl Reiner's 1958 semi-autobiographical novel Enter Laughing into a full-length comedy play, transforming the story into a two-act farce centered on the aspirations of a young Jewish delivery boy in 1930s New York. Stein reportedly described Reiner's novel as a "dandy little book," and Reiner granted him the rights in the early 1960s, encouraging the adaptation with the words, "Be my guest."[14][1] The adaptation emphasized comedic elements inherent in the novel, such as the protagonist David's bungled pursuit of an acting career amid family pressures and romantic entanglements, while incorporating physical humor and satirical takes on the theater world to enhance stage pacing and audience engagement. Key adjustments included heightening the farce through sequences of mistaken identities and audition failures, alongside a focus on 1930s Bronx Jewish culture to evoke period authenticity and cultural resonance for Broadway viewers.[1][3] Stein completed the script by 1962, allowing time for pre-production development, including initial readings and the selection of Gene Saks as director for his emerging talent in comedic staging—marking Saks's Broadway debut. The play's thematic core, unique to its stage form, underscored generational conflict between traditional parental expectations and the escapist allure of show business, positioning David's journey as a humorous rebellion tailored to appeal to mid-20th-century theatergoers.[15][16]Plot and characters
Synopsis
Enter Laughing is a two-act farce set in 1938 in the Bronx, following the misadventures of 17-year-old David Kolowitz, a Jewish delivery boy at a sewing machine factory who harbors dreams of becoming an actor.[17] Despite pressure from his overprotective parents to pursue a stable career as a pharmacist and from his boss to take over the business, David, encouraged by his best friend Marvin, fabricates a story about a job interview to sneak away and audition at a dilapidated theater managed by the flamboyant director Harrison Marlowe.[17][1] In Act 1, David's audition goes comically awry as he stumbles through his lines, yet Marlowe, desperate for a leading man in his production of the fictional play Call on Kuprin, hires him on the spot.[17] Amid the chaos of rehearsals with the eccentric troupe—including mishaps involving a drunken actor—David navigates budding romances: his steady relationship with girlfriend Wanda, who grows suspicious of his absences, and an flirtation with Marlowe's seductive but talentless daughter Angela.[1][17] These conflicts intensify as David's deceptions strain his family ties, highlighting the clash between his show business fantasies and harsh realities.[18] Act 2 escalates the farce with a series of slapstick disasters during the opening night performance, where David's inexperience triggers a cascade of mishaps, from forgotten cues to props gone wrong, turning the show into pandemonium.[17][18] His parents intervene dramatically, uncovering his lies and attempting to drag him back to a "respectable" life, while Wanda confronts him about his divided affections.[1] Through the comedic turmoil and ultimate failure of the production, David experiences personal growth, embracing the pursuit of his passion despite setbacks, culminating in a bittersweet affirmation of resilience over illusion.[17] The play's rapid pacing, reliant on sight gags, verbal wit, and the tension between theatrical glamour and everyday drudgery, drives its humor throughout.[18]Principal characters
David Kolowitz serves as the naive and ambitious protagonist of Enter Laughing, a 17-year-old Jewish delivery boy in 1930s New York whose stage-struck dreams clash with his family's expectations, embodying youthful optimism amid cultural tensions between immigrant traditions and artistic aspirations.[17] His inexperience and passionate ineptitude drive the central farce, as his pursuit of acting leads to a series of comedic misunderstandings that highlight his growth from insecure novice to resilient dreamer.[18] David's parents, Morris and Anna Kolowitz, function as comic foils representing domineering immigrant anxieties, with Morris as the pragmatic, overbearing father who insists on a stable career like druggist, and Anna as the warm yet protective mother who reinforces traditional Jewish family values.[1] Their exaggerated resistance to David's theatrical ambitions creates ensemble dynamics of conflict and reconciliation, amplifying the play's humor through generational clashes and heartfelt interventions that underscore the farce's two-act structure.[17] Harrison Marlowe, the exploitative and hammy theater director, embodies pretentious Shakespearean archetypes with his over-the-top flair and manipulative mentorship, exploiting David's enthusiasm while adding layers of satirical humor through his self-aggrandizing antics.[18] As a failed actor turned opportunistic showman, Marlowe's interactions with David propel the comedic chaos, drawing on vaudeville-style exaggeration to mock the seedy underbelly of show business.[17] Angela Marlowe, Harrison's daughter and the company's leading lady, is a seductive but untalented performer who pursues David romantically, adding to the comedic entanglements and highlighting the troupe's dysfunction.[1] Wanda, David's devoted love interest, provides romantic contrast as the supportive girlfriend whose loyalty tempers the protagonist's chaotic pursuits, introducing emotional stakes that blend tenderness with farce in the ensemble interplay.[1] Her role highlights themes of youthful romance amid professional turmoil, serving as a grounding force in David's whirlwind of misunderstandings. Marvin, the supportive yet failed actor friend, acts as a mentor figure and sidekick who initiates David's entry into the theater world, his own disillusioned optimism mirroring the play's satirical take on aspiring performers.[17] Through their dynamic of encouragement laced with envy, Marvin contributes to the farce's momentum, exemplifying vaudeville-inspired buddy archetypes that fuel humorous schemes and revelations.[18] The principal characters' exaggerated traits—rooted in vaudeville traditions of broad comedy and stock roles—interact to drive the play's farce, with David's optimism clashing against the parents' anxieties, Marlowe's pretensions, Wanda's steadfastness, and Marvin's wry guidance, creating a tapestry of misunderstandings that propel the two-act ensemble narrative.[17]Original Broadway production
Creative team
The original Broadway production of Enter Laughing was directed by Gene Saks in his directorial debut on the Great White Way, where his inventive staging and swift pacing enhanced the play's comedic rhythm and timing. Saks, who would later become renowned for directing Neil Simon comedies such as Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple, brought a focus on ensemble dynamics and precise comedic delivery to the production, helping to shape its lighthearted farce.[19][3] Set and costume design were handled by Ed Wittstein, whose flexible and cheerful sets facilitated the rapid scene changes and physical gags central to the story's humorous escapades in 1930s New York. Wittstein's designs evoked the everyday environments of the Bronx and rundown theatrical spaces, using exaggerated elements like oversized props to amplify the comedic exaggeration without overwhelming the intimate tone.[19][20] The production was led by producer Morton Gottlieb, who oversaw the mounting of this accessible comedy aimed at broad audiences, with Richard Seader serving as general manager and Del Hughes as production stage manager. Pre-opening preparations included tryouts in New Haven and Philadelphia, where Saks and the team refined the script and staging through targeted revisions to tighten the humor and flow.[3][20][15]Original cast
The original production of Enter Laughing opened on March 13, 1963, at the Henry Miller's Theatre, featuring a mix of established performers and emerging talents in its principal roles.[2] The cast was led by Alan Arkin in his Broadway debut as the aspiring actor David Kolowitz, supported by veterans like Sylvia Sidney and Alan Mowbray, alongside up-and-coming actors such as Michael J. Pollard.[3] The ensemble's chemistry blended the physical humor of improvisational comedy with character-driven farce, contributing to the play's 419-performance run through March 14, 1964.[3]| Role | Actor/Actress |
|---|---|
| David Kolowitz | Alan Arkin |
| Mrs. Kolowitz | Sylvia Sidney |
| Angela Marlowe | Vivian Blaine |
| Harrison B. Marlowe | Alan Mowbray |
| Mr. Foreman | Irving Jacobson |
| Miss Bamberger | Meg Myles |
| Mr. Kolowitz | Marty Greene |
| Marvin | Michael J. Pollard |
| Wanda | Barbara Dana |
| Roger | Monroe Arnold |
| Pike | Charles Randall |