Laugh Out Loud Comedy
Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Play Suggestions
Forum Discription: Need help finding a show that's right for your theater? Ask here.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1084
Printed Date: 4/30/24 at 12:29am
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Topic: Laugh Out Loud Comedy
Posted By: Guests
Subject: Laugh Out Loud Comedy
Date Posted: 8/16/04 at 1:36pm
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Help! My theatre group needs suggestions of "laugh-out loud" comedies. Already on our list is "Lend Me A Tenor", "The Foreigner", "Noises Off", "Don't Dress For Dinner", "George Washington Slept Here" and "You Can't Take It With You". Can you think of other plays which have caused your audiences to go through the roof with laughter?!? This might end up being an excellent resource list for future reference - or if one already exists somewhere out there, please reply with link! Gracias! |
Replies:
Posted By: jtonner
Date Posted: 8/16/04 at 4:56pm
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It is only a two person show, but we have had great success with "Greater Tuna".
John ------------- John |
Posted By: cruise
Date Posted: 8/16/04 at 10:22pm
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Separate Beds is a new comedy that had audiences laughing throughout. If you'd like further info on it please email me back. The reviews are fantastic. Julie
------------- MJ |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 8/17/04 at 2:22pm
| DIVORCE SALE --- Premiered Off-Broadway (1 block off Broadway) and last summer in Australia. Logline: Neighbors hold a seance to contact the deceased husband of a ditsy mother-in-law. Does have some serious moments but these "moments" act as distancing techniques. Contact playwright at mailto:ljstockham813@yahoo.com - ljstockham813@yahoo.com . It can be sent as an email attachment. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 8/20/04 at 4:32pm
| We have great success with "Love, Sex and the IRS" and "Playing Doctor" by Van Zandt and Milmore |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 8/21/04 at 9:56pm
| "Faith County" and its sequel "An Evening of Culture" are wonderfully funny - hilarious! |
Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 8/23/04 at 12:55pm
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Furcoat no nickers by Mike Harding
http://www.doollee.com/Index1.htm 1982 French, London Genre ComedyParts Male 9 Female 5 Other Notes Synopsis from stag night to drunken priest at reception, the path of wedded bliss is portrayed |
Posted By: Keith D.
Date Posted: 8/29/04 at 1:26pm
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Also anything by Ray Cooney Personal fav. It Runs in the Family
------------- KND |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 8/30/04 at 12:43am
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Lie, Cheat and Genuflect by Milmore and VanZandt. Audience complained that their stomachs hurt because of laughing too much. Rumors by Neil Simon. Laughter on the 23rd Floor By Neil Simon. Uses the f-word a lot. Clean it up and kill the play. Three Murders and It's Only Monday. The Day they Kidnapped the Pope. A Tomb with A View. Actually, this is my upcoming Fall production, so I haven't heard the audience's reaction yet, but the actors seem to laugh a lot... Holy Cannoli. We had 'em rolling in the isles with that one. |
Posted By: Juliet
Date Posted: 9/05/04 at 7:25pm
| the sunshine boys and the nerd are laugh out loud. that's all i can think of right now. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 9/07/04 at 3:02pm
| Whose Wives Are They Anyway.... Real door slammer! |
Posted By: Andrea T
Date Posted: 9/10/04 at 1:33am
| Fools by Neil simon is my favorite..If it is done correctly it is histerical! Its one of Simons lesser known shows but i love it- and so did our audiences. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 9/17/04 at 3:54pm
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What about Moon Over Buffalo - that's a great show and a lot of fun for the actors. If you're into musicals, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum had them rolling in the aisles. If you like a darker shade to your comedy, David Lindsay-Abaire's Fuddy Meers and Wonder of the World are hilarious. Other audience favorites: The Foreigner, Red Herring, and Play On! (the step-brother to Noises Off!) |
Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 9/19/04 at 7:06am
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Have a look at ?The Scottish play? [MacB?th} by David McGillivray & Walter Zerlin Jnr {Samuel French]"Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomens? Guild Dramatic Society?s" Production of Macb?th http://www.colonytheatre.org/shows/FarndaleAvenueHousing.html - http://www.colonytheatre.org/shows/FarndaleAvenueHousing.htm l ------------- Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house} |
Posted By: slicksister
Date Posted: 9/20/04 at 12:34am
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Anything by Jack Sharkey. Sorry Wrong Chimney is my current favorite. Marriage is Murder is great by Nick Hall ------------- The Main Thing is to Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 10/25/04 at 5:09pm
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Script available on a timely issue. With looooooming strike in theatre, willing to go with minimum royalties or none at all, depending upon situation of your group. If interested in following, I can send more details by email or the play. Contact me at mailto:ljstockham813@yahoo.com - ljstockham813@yahoo.com Title: Up and Down the Bathroom Scale Logline: A pharmaceutical-research program?s testing of a super diet drug on human volunteers suffering from obesity goes terribly awry Genre: Contemporary ?black? comedy. Copyright ? 2004. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 3/15/05 at 3:55pm
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How about BERMUDA AVENUE TRIANGLE ... big success with our dinner theatre and now our new regional theatre. Also SYLVIA, THE FOREIGNER, NEVER GET SMART WITH AN ANGEL (a personal favorite), I HATE HAMLET....
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Posted By: Shanahan
Date Posted: 3/18/05 at 3:18pm
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Besides shilling my own plays, "Dinner for Several" and "One Before Forty," I would recommend "Shake A Spear" by Mike Legge, available from JAC Publishing. New piece--I played Richard the Zero in its debut last summer--requires minimal staging, has a lot of parts, and is drop-dead, laugh-til-it-hurts funny. And you don't even have to like (or hate!) Shakespeare to "get" it. ------------- Laughter guaranteed. Plays by John Shanahan http://www.johnshanahan.net Dinner for Several One Before Forty Bob's Date Brushstroke Worst Possible Time for Writer's Block & more! |
Posted By: Unclepeter
Date Posted: 7/26/05 at 1:36am
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Try virtually anything by Pat Cook ( http://www.patcook.org - www.patcook.org ). We especially had a great hit with "The Old Faith, Hope and Charity" (lillenas Publishing). It is currently out of print but if you call Lillenas, they will work with you to get it. ------------- "Good judgement comes from experience - and a lot of that comes from bad judgement." (Will Rogers) Uncle Peter |
Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 7/26/05 at 7:46am
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"The Nerd" really is one of the funniest plays I've ever seen.
"The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged" is hysterical ... and a real joy to produce and work on. If you have an adult audience, we had a huge hit with "Psycho Beach Party" - though it's definitely not for kids. |
Posted By: DWolfman
Date Posted: 7/27/05 at 5:17pm
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http://www.popplays.com/blood.htm - BLOOD TIES by Judy Rose Mama takes a European vacation and returns as a vampire! http://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=1507 - NOT NOW, DARLING by Ray Cooney and John Chapman Another door-slamming, girlfriend-hiding, identity-changing British Comedy ------------- Even a man who is pure of heart... |
Posted By: pauliebonn
Date Posted: 7/28/05 at 11:57pm
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Murder at the Howard Johnson Laughter on the 23rd Floor Cash on Delivery
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Posted By: Shatcher
Date Posted: 7/29/05 at 4:25pm
| Nosies off is one of my personal faves. tough on the tech side but so funny. us backstage types laughed through every preformance. and we knew what was coming |
Posted By: GoldCanyonLady
Date Posted: 7/29/05 at 6:56pm
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Shatcher, I looked at Noises Off and it looks like something we could
do next year, but it calls for 2 interior sets. Can it be done with
only one? Barb ------------- Barb Hofmeister, MountainBrook Village Players, Gold Canyon, Arizona. |
Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 7/29/05 at 10:50pm
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you do need both sets (the 'set' of the play-within-the-play and
the backstage area of the 'set' of the play-within-the-play) - but it can be done efficiently with some creative thinking. I adjudicated a production a few years ago that came up with an ingenius way of doing the play. They did the first act - then, for the second act, they had another 'audience' set up backstage, and everybody went backstage for the second act (using the backs of the real set as the set for the second act - and then the audience went back to the main auditorium for the third act. As weird as it sounds, it was very effective - and the audience seemed to get a real kick out of their 'traveling' seats. And, of course, it meant that they only needed the one set constructed. |
Posted By: b6307
Date Posted: 8/18/05 at 12:32pm
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Posted By: Shatcher
Date Posted: 8/19/05 at 12:24pm
| As for Noises Off we used one set that was on wheels. we just turned it around during intermission and then back again for the 3rd act. It is a little bit of work but the show is so great the work will be worth it. |
Posted By: falstaff29
Date Posted: 8/31/05 at 11:28pm
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I've always loved Sexual Perversity in Chicago. |
Posted By: Spectrum
Date Posted: 9/03/05 at 12:14pm
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My all-time favorite has to be DON'T DRESS FOR DINNER by Marc Camoletti. We had an amazing director, a stellar cast, fabulous set, and great crew and the show reflected every bit of the fun these people created. It also generated a record box office for the theatre, primarily by word-of-mouth. ------------- Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional. |
Posted By: The Mikado
Date Posted: 9/08/05 at 2:14pm
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I directed "Noises Off" in 2000, and it was our biggest hit, ticket-wise, till I directed "The Foreigner" this July. We are about to open with "The Nerd," and here's to hoping it shapes up to comparable, or better, box office. I can tell you, people LOVE to laugh. Check us out at http://www.theatrehsv.org - http://www.theatrehsv.org We're doing a LOT of comedies this season...including a Farndale, "Complete Works," "Dearly Departed," and so on. We close with "Perfect Wedding," a "Noises"-type comedy that is actually worthy of that comparison. Of course, we haven't staged it yet, but the script was hilarious. Then NEXT September, we revive "Noises." Best review? My mom briefly left "Foreigner" during intermission...she said she was going to the restroom..."to finish." ------------- The Mikado, et al. |
Posted By: MoonlightFlame
Date Posted: 9/13/05 at 5:20pm
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I finished Stage Managing Laughing Wild by Christopher Durang a month ago, for a pre-season show it went over well... though some people found it a little bit offensive, most thought is was VERY funny. Also, Beyond Therapy is pretty funny, this is also by Christopher Durang. Oh, and I am currently working on Radio TBS...its pretty funny as well.
Smit |
Posted By: acmeactor
Date Posted: 9/26/05 at 9:43am
| We had huge success with Breaking Legs, the set was fairly easy, costuming was not a stretch and the audience LOVED it and came back again. |
Posted By: ljstockham813
Date Posted: 9/28/05 at 5:10pm
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The following is a fun play that gets a lot of laughs, titters to roars. Title: Divorce Sale Logline: A group of neighbors hold a s?ance to contact the deceased husband of a ditsy mother-in-law. Genre: Contemporary comedy. (Ideal for community theatre and dinner theatre venues.) Set: 1, double-car garage. Characters: 7 female, 3 male. Running Length: 90 minutes. Copyright ? 1994, 1993. Production History: 3 stage productions (Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands; Dalby, Queensland, Australia; and New York City, New York), and 2 staged-readings (San Bernardino, California). Play is also in circulation through the California branches of the American Association of University Women. Publication: ProPlay, Canada. Originally published by Aran Press, Inc. (All rights reserved by the playwright, including stage performances and royalties.) Will be availble online at: http://www.singlelane.com/proplay/divorcesale.html |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 10/14/05 at 2:57pm
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It Was a Dark and Scary Night (PIONEER DRAMA SERVICE) Tied to the Tracks (PIONEER DRAMA SERVICE) Give My Regards to Broadway (PIONEER DRAMA SERVICE) Egad! What a Cad! (SAMUEL FRENCH MELODRAMA) Shut and Bar the Door (DPS?) Klondike Kalamity (DPS?) Much Ado About Nothing (the Bard)
------------- |
Posted By: castMe
Date Posted: 11/04/05 at 6:32pm
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Okay, another vote for Milmore and Van Sant. "Drop Dead". I have directed it twice and have fingers crossed another local theatre will put me on their schedule next year. Wet-your-pants funny. I read it twice a year and still laugh out loud. Something funny on every page and everything gets laughs. Lines, costumes, sound, props, pre-show. Everything. I also have a soft spot (in my head some would say) for the Farndale Ave series, particularly their Christmas Carol with the wonderful title "The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's Production of A Christmas Carol". Available thru Sam French.
------------- Investigate. Imagine. Choose. |
Posted By: Vagabond
Date Posted: 11/07/05 at 9:15pm
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We currently have Separate Beds playing as a travelling show, and has been very well received. Very funny, especially to those of us in the "middle age married/committed" demographic. Last year, we did "A Coffin for Lazarus", written by a local (Canadian) playwright. A farce, knee slapping funny, extremely well received. If you are interested, email me at mailto:jbradsha@mts.net - jbradsha@mts.net .
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Posted By: Dough Boy
Date Posted: 3/20/06 at 3:56pm
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Check out "Messiah on the Frigidaire" by John Culbertson. The
reviewer of our show said "The audience could barely catch its breath
between laughs" Of course my acting probably had something to do
with it. But seriously, it is a funny show with some nice emotional twists thrown in too. The author flew in for opening night, and he was great. Its new, so to get a copy you neeed to contact John. johnc@tvpstudios.com Jim Dough |
Posted By: Christine
Date Posted: 3/24/06 at 12:52pm
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Yep - gotta echo "Dough Boy's" sentiments. I directed "Messiah on the Frigidaire" in Fall 2005 and it was a great show. Part drama/part comedy with REAL characters. It was a joyous project and John C was wonderful to work with. Take advantage of being able to work with an unpublished author - there's so many advantages (of course I hope a publishing house picks up this script soon - it's a real gem!) Dough Boy - which production were you in? Ours was in Ohio. |
Posted By: gailact
Date Posted: 3/24/06 at 1:03pm
| I am also looking for good comedies, however, they must be CLEAN--meaning we have an audience that doesn't want vulgarity in any way. Any good suggestions? Thanks. |
Posted By: RachelB
Date Posted: 4/19/06 at 8:58pm
| If you want a clean comedy that is a true laugh-out-loud night at the theatre, you have GOT to check out the new play by the woman who wrote "Dearly Departed." This one is called "Dearly Beloved," and is a scream! I've seen it twice and have just found out Dramatists Play Service has just now published it AND the sequel is scheduled (already!) to have a world premiere this fall! Go to the website http://www.JezebellesInk.com - www.JezebellesInk.com for info. Check it out and break a leg! Rachel B |