Terry Teachout, the theater reviewer of the WALL STREET JOURAL, wrote a rave review of Act One (you can read his review here) and mentioned that the Lincoln Center Theater was offering the play online for FREE until July 3. So, of course, I dropped everything and watched it.
Back in 2016, I read Moss Hart’s classic Act One (you can read my review here) and loved it. Act One is the most informative and entertaining memoir of a life of writing plays for Broadway that I’ve ever read. Moss Hart, an uneducated yet passionate lover of Broadway plays, stumbles into the play-writing business. His big break-through is when legendary George S. Kaufman becomes interested in Hart’s play, Once in a Lifetime.
This play version of Act One, written brilliantly by James Lapine, shows the grinding poverty that Moss Hart grew up in. Hart’s aunt takes the young Moss Hart to Broadway shows and ignites his passion for theater. As a young man (played by Santino Fontana), Hart finds a clerical job at a theatrical promoter’s office. Hart writes a play that flops in Rochester, New York. But, he keeps writing and produces a rough draft of Once in a Lifetime that spurs the interest of veteran Broadway director and writer, George S. Kaufman (played by Tony Shalhoub). The interaction in the rewriting of Once in a Lifetime–with the quirky Kaufman and the novice Hart–power the key action of the reminder of the play.
If you’re in the mood for a funny, touching, and insightful play–and its FREE!–just click on the YOUTUBE.COM link above, or if you have a smart TV, you can access it there. Highly recommended! GRADE: A
Never seen or read this. My only exposure to his work were the film versions of You Can’t Take It With You, George Washington Slept Here and The Man Who Came to Dinner. None of which I found very interesting. I remember his wife much better as she was a regular on tv when I was a kid. And I always found her very annoying.
Steve, you’re right about Kitty Carlisle, Moss Hart’s wife, appearing on TV quiz shows like TO TELL THE TRUTH on a regular basis.
I would have said she was on WHAT’S MY LINE.
Rick, Kitty Carlisle showed up on many of those TV game shows in the 1960s. I’m sure she appeared on WHAT’S MY LINE, too.
I loved the book and can’t wait to watch this. Initially in this pandemic I was paying a lot more attention to theater and music online. But lately I’d forgotten. Thanks.
Patti, I too loved ACT ONE when I read it. This play version captures Moss Hart’s rise from a penniless office worker to writing a play that makes it to Broadway. I’m a sucker for stories like that!
You can read his review if you subscribe to the WSJ. Otherwise, no. I saw a version of ACT ONE years ago but can’t remember who was in it. I’ve always been interested in Kaufman’s collaborations. I read the play and will definitely check this out.
Rereading your previous review, I see that my comment mentioned the Lapine play version. Man, my memory totally forgot that.
Jeff, apparently there were other versions of ACT ONE that were not as well done as this Lincoln Center Theater performance. Lapine manages to keep the action moving. This 2 hour and 20 minute play feels much shorter.
Wow, 2 hour 20 minute. That’s long! I’ll give it a try, sine I’ll be able to pause it as needed.
Thanks for the heads-up, I wouldn’t have known.
Rick, yes, you can PAUSE ACT ONE whenever you want.
Read Act One a few years ago. Saw the 1963 movie version on TCM recently; not very good, though Jason Robards, Jr was fine as Kaufman. After all that I was left very curious about Once in a Lifetime. Subsequent Kaufman-Hart plays were made into hit movies, still highly regarded. But the movie version of their first hit seemed to have vanished. TCM, usually good about such things, should have followed the broadcast of Act One with Once in a Lifetime. Instead we got the umpteenth Man Who Came to Dinner. Apparently the 1932 Once in a Lifetime film was long thought lost, though a print surfaced in 1971, and I discovered the complete film is right there on YouTube for viewing. It was a long hour and a half, creaky and stagey, and its satirical look at Hollywood – daring then – is old hat now, especially the play’s comic take on the transition to talkies, done so much better in Singin’ in the Rain. The star was Jack Oakie, ZaSu Pitts providing her usual ditsy dame routine, and a lot of long-forgotten names. Still, Act One buffs ought to see it. I’ve downloaded this new stage version of Act One and will probably watch it soon, in installments.
Art, thanks for the rundown on ONCE IN A LIFETIME. As Moss Hart’s first play, I’m sure it was inferior to his later works. Terry Teachout made fun of the 1963 version of ACT ONE. This Lincoln Center Theater version is good.
This looks really good, George.
Thanks for the lead. I’ll try to give it a try tonight.
Beth, I thought the Lincoln Center Theater production was excellent. Well worth watching!