Enter Laughing: A Comedy in Two Acts

by Carl Reiner, Joseph Stein (Adapter)

The semi-autobiographical, riotous account of stage-struck young David Kolowitz, originated on Broadway by Alan Arkin, working as a delivery boy in a sewing machine factory. Denying his parent's wishes for a druggist in the family, he leaves their dreams and his devoted girlfriend Wanda behind and is soon enlisted (and paying for) a slot as the "leading man" in a third-rate theatrical company while being vamped by the resident less-than leading lady, the daughter of the hammy "artistic director.

Genres: Plays, Drama

91 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Carl Reiner was an American actor, film director, producer, writer and comedian. He has won nine Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award during his career. He has the distinction of being the only person to appear on all five incarnations of The Tonight Show. He is best known for his work in Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, and Ocean's Thirteen.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basic plot: David wants to be an actor.

Yep. That simple. Took me a whole hour and a half to read from start to finish. It was supposed to be a comedy, but I don't think I even smiled while reading it. I suppose that with a good cast it would be funny, but not just when reading it. Mostly, I wondered where the heck it was going and if there was actually going to be some kind of conflict in the plot. Also, as a stage technician, I was baffled by the extraneous number of scenery changes this play required. For a "straight" play, and one that is really straightforward, there were an absurd number of settings required.

Meh.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a quick, fun read, and brought me back to old times. I suspect young (under 65) readers would not appreciate it so much, as part of the appeal is the remembering.