A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE
Ken Ludwig's Moon Over Buffalo
Full-Length Play, Comedy / 4w, 4m
Charlotte and George Hay are on tour in Buffalo in 1953 with a repertory consisting of Cyrano de Bergerac (the "revised, one nostril version") and Noel Coward's Private Lives, when they receive word that they might just have one last shot at stardom: Frank Capra is coming to town to see their matinee.
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Cast Size
4w, 4m -
Duration
120 minutes (2 hours) -
Subgenre
Farce -
Suggested Use
- Scene Work
- UIL Approved
- Competition or Audition Material
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Target Audience
Adult, Teen (Age 14-18)
Details
Summary
History
Moon Over Buffalo premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 1, 1995. It was produced by Elizabeth Williams, Heidi Landesman, DTL Entertainment, Hal Luftig and Jujamcyn Theatres.
The play was subsequently presented in London on October 15, 2001 under the title Over the Moon at The Old Vic by BIll Kenwright.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
- Time Period 1950s
- Setting Onstage and backstage at the Erlanger Theatre, Buffalo, New York, 1953
- Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes, Elaborate/High-Volume Costumes, Period Costumes
- Additional Features Physical Comedy, Stage Combat
- Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
- Cautions
- No Special Cautions
Media
“Packs more comic genius onto the stage than anything in recent memory!” – USA Today
“Somewhere up above, George S. Kaufman, Abe Burrows, Moss Hart and all those clever fellows who wrote the comedies of yesteryear are rolling with laughter, echoing the audience last night at Moon Over Buffalo. The play is nothing less than a love letter to live theater.” – Boston Herald
“Ken Ludwig's Moon Over Buffalo tops the mayhem and pitch-perfect farce of his other hit, Lend Me a Tenor.” – Orange County Register
“Ken Ludwig is one of those rare contemporary playwrights who thinks in terms of old-fashioned knockabout farce, and that’s something to be cherished.” – The New York Times
“[R]oles that any actor of a certain age would give his or her soul to play.” – The Boston Herald
“The funniest show in New York… The comedy has audiences rolling in the aisles. The second act has a show-within-a-show spoof of Private Lives with everybody in the wrong costumes reading the wrong lines. This has to be one of the most hysterical things ever put onstage. I have seen Moon Over Buffalo three times! I expect you to see it once.” – Liz Smith, New York Post
“Hilarious! Ludwig stuffs his play with comic invention, running gags and neat sense of absurdity. An evening of farcical delight. Go and enjoy!” – Clive Barnes, New York Post
“By far Broadway’s funniest, most enjoyable lighthearted play. Buy a ticket!” – Entertainment Weekly
“Stuffed with comic invention, running gags and a superb sense of absurdity, this is truly a love-letter to live theatre.” – Insidebayarea.com
“Moon Over Buffalo is what a stage comedy should be. It is a wild and wacky farce. It’s Waiting for Guffman meets Noises Off meets your favorite Shakespeare comedy as performed by the Marx Brothers. Be prepared to leave the theater exhausted from laughter.” – The News Tribune, WA
For more info, visit kenludwig.com.Videos
Meet The Playwright: Ken Ludwig
Music
- Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
- Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
Licensing & Materials
- Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
Authors
Ken Ludwig
Ken Ludwig has had six productions on Broadway and eight in London’s West End. His 34 plays and musicals are staged around the world and throughout the United States every night of the year.
His first play, Lend Me a Tenor, won two Tony Awards and was called “one of the classi ...
