"Critic's Choice" and Other Comedies: Break A Leg, Cantorial, and Critic's Choice

"Critic's Choice" and Other Comedies: Break A Leg, Cantorial, and Critic's Choice

Ira Levin -- the same author who terrified us with Rosemary’s Baby and The Boys from Brazil also, astonishingly, wrote laugh-out-loud comedies . Here are three of his most side-splitting offerings, the pick of the litter -- the critic’s choice. Critic’s Choice This comic fable of fictional theater critic Parker Ballantine is a giddy excursion to a lost era of cocktails, tuxedos, witty quips, and urbane ripostes that “crackle and throw out sparks” ( New York Morning Telegraph ). Break A Leg A beleaguered theater company uses its combined talents to drive out the brutish critic who’s been decimating their productions. If Dangerous Liaisons mated with She Loves Me , their child would be Break A Leg -- the most howlingly riotous of all Levin’s creations. Cantorial A synagogue-to-condo conversion is haunted by the ghost of its former cantor , in this buoyant comedy that’s part ghost story, part musical, and -- as Levin put it, “probably the warmest thing I’ve ever written.” " Cantorial is an easy, intriguing, and diverting theatrical page-turner...Strikes the right note...Inventive idea and crisp dialogue." -- The New York Times "A sentimental ghost story." -- The Washington Post on Cantorial "Ache-provoking laughs." -- Trumbull Times on Break A Leg "Fresh and funny." -- The New York Times on Critic's Choice "One of the wildest, funniest farces I've ever seen." -- Associated Press on Break A Leg "Sparkling venom." -- The Boston Globe on Critic's Choice "Wittily ingenious." -- The Guardian on Break A Leg "A fascinating spiritual journey." -- LA Weekly on Cantorial "It is so disarming that it could, if it gets around (and I'm sure it will), make the nation's youth aspire to become drama critics instead of firemen and baseball players." -- New York Daily News on Critic's Choice "Laugh laden and wonderful. Witty dialogue like a nonstop electric razor." -- The American on Critic's Choice The genre-defining works of novelist-playwright IRA LEVIN (1929-2007) include such indelible titles as Rosemary's Baby, The Stepford Wives, The Boys from Brazil , and Deathtrap -- the fifth longest-running play in Broadway history. At home in nearly every genre -- horror ( Rosemary's Baby ), crime (Edgar-winning A Kiss Before Dying ), science fiction ( This Perfect Day ), comedy ( No Time For Sergeants ), even a Broadway musical ( Drat! The Cat! ) -- Levin's enduring works continue to resonate with readers and audiences, serving as iconic cultural and creative touchstones. Learn more at Levin's official website, IraLevin.org. Pithy and biting Refreshingly amusing Charming and witty Ingeniously humorous