Sept. 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27
Inspired by the playwright’s youthful experience as a staff writer on Sid Caesar’s “Your Show of Shows,” this Neil Simon favorite depicts the harried writing staff as they frantically scramble to top each other. The setting is based on a comedy writer’s room in the early 1950s in New York City, and depicts some of the greatest comedy writers in history: Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Woody Allen and Larry Gelbart (“M* A* S* H” and “Tootsie”).

It was the Golden Age of Television, the age of Sid Caesar, Jack Benny and Milton Berle in a new exciting medium. There were only three networks, and audiences looked for topical and smart comedy. “Your Show of Shows” was a live 90-minute variety show broadcast weekly on NBC. The challenge Caesar and his writers faced was coming up with fresh material every Saturday night. The result is a play that’s both very funny and more substantial than we customarily expect from Neil Simon.

“Laughter on the 23rd Floor” opened in NYC in 1993 and was Neil Simon’s unofficial fourth installment of his semi-autobiographical series that began with “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” continued with “Biloxi Blues,” and went on to “Broadway Bound,” all with the same narrating character. The play is in many ways Neil Simon’s story.

Join us for this lively play with just the right touch of nostalgia. “Laughter on the 23rd Floor” will be presented on stage at A.C.T. Studio Theatre weekends Sept. 12 – 28. For tickets and information, please visit actstudiotheatre.com or call (772) 932-8880. Tickets are $28. A.C.T.’s 2025-26 eight-show Season package is available for $200/person. A.C.T. Studio Theatre is located in the Cedar Pointe Plaza, 2399 SE Ocean Blvd., Stuart. This play is recommended for mature audiences.

Thursday, Sept.18 at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 19 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 20 at 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 25 at 8:00 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 26 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 27 at 8:00 p.m.