A (much-needed) Night of Laughter

my autographed window card

Yes, I have told you REPEATEDLY how much I love Charles Busch and his plays.  Settle in to hear it again.  One of the few plays of his that I enjoyed in which he didn't star was The Tale of the Allergist's Wife; if I'm remembering correctly, I saw it after 9/11, when theaters were offering industry professionals discounted tickets to get business booming again.  I didn't see theater treasure Linda Lavin in the lead role, I saw Valerie Harper, who I loved.  I loved the show, I laughed heartily, and I was thrilled to see an old Ohio friend excel in one of the roles.  That was nearly 20 years ago - when I saw the announcement that the Actors Fund would be doing a one-night only performance of the show, featuring the original cast, I was IN.

I was especially keen about the fact that Charles Busch would now be taking on the lead role of Marjorie (which he had actually written for Linda Lavin) and Linda Lavin would be playing Marjorie's salty mother, Frieda (the original actress has unfortunately passed away in the years since the original Broadway production closed).  And my old Ohio friend would be participating as well, so all signs pointed to my having a fabulous time.

AND I DID.  I laughed my tuchus off, thank you very much.  The evening started with Linda Lavin coming out and chatting about her impulse to put the evening together (and her brief speech was a wonderful amuse bouche comic monologue itself).  Once the performance started, Charles was a riot as the depressed and dissatisfied Marjorie (thinking about the phone monologue to Frieda's doctor is making me giggle again as I type), Tony Roberts was deadpan delicious as Marjorie's saintly husband, Michele Lee (who I didn't recognize at first, I must admit, from my seat in the back row) was effervescent, Anil Kumar was charm personified as Mohammed the doorman.  Linda Lavin, who I referred to as a theatrical treasure in my first paragraph above, was, yes, a treasure as Frieda.  The other cast members could hardly contain their laughter at Linda's line readings of Frieda's intestinal troubles, and it was almost anarchy onstage when she related her 'near-lesbian experience' while making hamantaschen.  Oh, did I forget to mention that I nearly collapsed from laughter during Charles/Marjorie's description of her first attempt to write a novel?  Hearing her talk about her work as 'phantasmagoria' and having Helen Keller and Plato as characters...SO funny.  

photo credit: Rebecca J. Michaelson

Really, it was just a delightful evening with so much laughter.  I really needed it.  I feel as if I walk on stressed tenterhooks most of the time, so to have that release was a joy.  I laughed so much, I cried, and after I went to bed that night, I even woke myself up laughing.  The cast seemed to be having as much fun as we were in the audience, which is always a treat to see.  I don't think many theater companies produce The Tale of the Allergist's Wife; I don't know why, it is funny and fun.  Maybe it's too NYC-centric?  But I think people anywhere would get a kick out of Marjorie's existential crises, and who doesn't relate to mother/daughter comic situations?  But I digress.  I'm so happy that I found the funds to attend the performance and I'm so grateful to the Actors Fund for saying 'yes' when Linda Lavin approached them.  May more laugh-filled evenings come all our ways in the days to come...