Imagine it's the 1950s and you have a job writing a tv variety show starring a guy like Sid Caesar. Imagine the writers' room is full of talent like Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Imogene Coca, Larry Gelbart, and Neil Simon.

That's what Simon was thinking about when he penned "Laughter on the 23rd Floor," a hilarious play about the craziness of the golden age of television and the bizarre behavior that crops up when you lock a group of mad geniuses together in one room. (Think "30 Rock" meets "The Dick van Dyke Show.")

Simon lived this life in his younger days, and he obviously loved it. And I loved this production. The writing is still funny, the costumes and set are fabulous, and the renovated space at the New Jewish Theatre is very comfy.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, my husband, Alan Knoll, plays the Sid Caesar-esque character Max Prince, the mercurial star of the tv show who's constantly in the writers' room demanding great jokes and tons of attention. Well, in a word, he's wonderful! I know, how can I be trusted to say otherwise? He's my husband, right? But, if he weren't wonderful, I'd just fail to mention his participation in this great show. :)

The cast (Christian Vieira, Bobby Miller, Bob Harvey, B. Weller, Jordan Reinwald, Kirsten Wylder, Alan Knoll, Alexandra Woodruff, and Gary Wayne Barker ) seems to genuinely like and appreciate each other, and that tightness is so vital for a show about a group of workers who become a fighting, teasing, loving dysfunctional family. And, when they're right on top of each other with their dialogue, the show crackles brightly along. Director Edward Coffield knows something about the dynamic of

creative-bordering-on-neurotic types, and he directs his actors to relish the dialogue, the spit-takes, the goofy chases, and the sweet goodbyes.

I hope you get the chance to laugh at the J!