Having its West Coast premiere at International City Theatre through Nov. 22, Wendy MacLeod’s new comedy “The Laugh Track” focuses on a female writer behind the hit 1950s television show “I Love Lucy.”
Not only is MacLeod’s writing sharp, funny and interesting, but director Brian Shnipper’s fluid direction gives us an engaging and illuminating behind-the-scenes look at the famous show produced in the infancy of commercial television broadcasting.
In the play, Madelyn Pugh, or Maddie (played by Alli Brown), is one of the few female comedy writers in broadcasting, having transitioned from radio to television, along with her more experienced writing partner, Bob (Josh Odsess-Rubin).
The show is filmed in a playhouse in front of a live audience in bleachers, but broadcast the next day — a new concept at the time.
And both Maddie and Bob convince “I Love Lucy” producer Harry (excellently played by Hunter Bodine) that if the show were to be re-broadcast — which he can’t believe, because who’d rewatch a show they’d already seen? — they would get paid residuals, which became a television industry standard.
The dialogue throughout is fast-paced and witty, especially between Maddie and Bob as they spar over whose show lines get the most laughs, or whose idea something was, with Maddie often having to assert herself over Bob taking credit.
In these ways, MacLeod’s play immerses us in the historical context of the show — including the gender and racial biases it challenged — all while making us laugh and care about its writers and actors.
She also has to avoid fetching things on demand for the men on the set, including one cringy scene where producer Harry doesn’t back down from expecting her to bring him coffee.
But thanks to Brown’s exceptionally clear, quick and charming delivery, Maddie is never shrill in defending herself or annoying; instead, she effortlessly pokes holes in the men’s perceptions of her and women in general.
Ironically, it’s with Lucille Ball (Jennifer Sorenson) that Maddie sometimes gets tongue-tied or undermines her own abilities — perhaps because of her admiration for the star. The self-confident Ball encourages Maddie to stand up for herself as a woman, just as she herself does.
But though Ball calls the shots on her show, she still has to negotiate being a mother on set, especially as her husband and co-star Desi Arnaz (Bill Mendieta, who nails Arnaz’s Cuban accent) is a hands-off father, maintaining a macho distance while Ball deals with hiding nursing stains before filming.
The play covers the entirety of the show’s production from 1951 to 1957 in a crisp 90 minutes, as director Shnipper seamlessly transitions between scenes — on Mark Mendelson’s soundstage set design — ranging from backstage offices to a restaurant they all frequent.
Restaurant waitress Nellie (Alyssa Corella) adds a kooky outside perspective to the goings-on at the TV show. Nellie’s over-the-top ditziness, which Corella excels at, certainly adds comedy to the production. And the character’s own showbiz ambitions lead her to write a script based on her life — but it shows how difficult TV writing can be.
“The Laugh Track” thus scores on all counts — writing, directing, acting, production design (with lighting by Donna Ruzika, sound by Hunter Moody and props by Patty Briles) and period costuming by Kim DeShazo. It’s a total package guaranteed to entertain, just as reruns of “I Love Lucy” still do after 75 years.
International City Theatre’s “The Laugh Track” continues through Nov. 22 at the Beverly O’Neill Theater, 330 E. Seaside Way, with shows Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. For tickets and information, call the box office at 562-436-4610 or visit ICTLongBeach.org. Run time is 90 minutes with no intermission.