Enter Laughing: musical still aiming for Broadway

Photo by Jerry Lamonica

Josh Grisetti (David Kolowitz) and company in Enter Laughing

Stan Daniels' (Score) and Joseph Stein's (book) Enter Laughing, The Musical, which was produced Off-Broadway by the York Theatre Company, to critical accalim, is still headed for Broadway.

The musical has began its (first?) Broadway tryout at Sag Harbor's Bay Theatre, where it will play from 9 Aug - 4 Sep 2011. The production plays at Bay Street Theatre before continuing on its journey to Broadway.

Producer Dan Whitten first announced in Nov 2009 that he was planning on bringing Enter Laughing, The Musical to Broadway.

There has been no official announcement about the planned Broadway production.

Set in 1930's, Enter Laughing, The Musical, tells the story of young, hapless David Kolowitz, a shop boy from the Bronx who pursues his dream of becoming a leading man on stage while facing mounting pressures from his despondent girlfriend, dismissive boss, distracted best friend, disgusted acting coach and disapproving parents.

Enter Laughing, The Musical is based on Reiner's semi-autobiographical novel about David Kolowitz, a young man obsessed with becoming a Broadway star despite having minimal talent and a funny face.

'Enter Laughing' started out life in 1963 as a straight play with a year-long run on Broadway. It was subsequently adapted for the screen with an all-star cast. The first attempt at turning the play into a song-filled version was in 1976, under the title of "So Long 174th Street," starring a miscast 45-year-old Robert Morse. It tanked quickly.

Thirty-one years later, the York Theatre Company's "Musicals in Mufti" series offered several stage readings of a revised version, renamed Enter Laughing, The Musical and a hit was born. The York staged "Enter Laughing, The Musical as a full-scale production and it became the darling of the off-Broadway season.

The Bay Theatre once again sees Josh Grisetti (David Kolowitz), as well as Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker, reprise their lead roles in the musical. Newyorktheatreguide.com said of Josh Grisetti's off-Broadway performance as 'David Kolowitz,' "(Josh Grisetti) as Reiner's alter-ego David, reminds us of a young, rubbery Ray Bolger with the same nervous energy. His hyena-like laughter in the show-within-a-show, as he reads the stage directions aloud and steps all over the other actors' lines, is the classic stuff of comedy."

The production is again directed and choreographed by Off-Broadway director Stuart Ross.

Sag Harbor's Bay Theatre's run of Enter Laughing, The Musical, is produced by special arrangement with Dan Whitten and Tiger Theatricals in Association with Carl Reiner.