Let's be Pennebaker & Hegedus' MOON OVER BROADWAY!

I'm playwright/hack Ken Ludwig allowing that woman from tv to star in his masterpiece.

I'm pretentious director Tom 'NIGHT MOTHER Moore. I consider myself an expert on Feydeau, and I am NOT having Phil Bosco's "creative contributions."

I am television star Carol Burnett who has also done tons of theatre. Do not underestimate my ability to make even the worst comedy writing play like gangbusters. Do not say "it's television!" about my work behind my back and then make me go out front and take questions from the audience while you fix the set.

If Ken were as good a comedy writer as I am a comedic actor, the script would be a masterpiece. But he isn't, so off to work I go.

I am the main winch of this show.

I'm Carol's chum Julie eating her out in her dressing room.

I'm producer Elizabeth Williams. I never tire of reminding you that Ken and I worked together on CRAZY FOR YOU -- so you know I really understand him. I'm the only one who feels badly for him when the reviews come out.

Per Wikipedia, I've "also published articles on the iconography of the ancient gods of Syria." Who knew?

I'm the first draft of the play that was said to be brilliant but abandoned.

I'm the "hearing aid"/"lemonade" joke. No one will ever fix me. I'm a great example of Ken Ludwig's massive limitations.

I'm Philip Bosco thinking I was hired to play the leading role and now forced to be a co-star.

I'm Howard Kissel. On the commentary track, Rocco Landesman randomly disses me ("not a major critic") but says nothing about, say, John Simon.

The documentary didn't focus enough on what a terrible, unfunny show Ludwig wrote to start with.

I saw it when it opened, and it was a laborious chore to sit through.

I'm Tony winner Janie Sell who is an Executive Secretary by day and standby for Miss Burnett at night.

Right, R10? The documentary doesn't give Burnett and Bosco (and even Graff and Connell) the credit they deserve for being the material-elevating actors they always are.

Ludwig's playwriting is omnipresent because at least one of his regional plays, usually adaptations, are always making the rounds.Crazy for You, Lend Me a Tenor (and its sequels, oy!) and Moon Over Buffalo saw productions everywhere. For a while it was the 39-Steps-esque Baskerville which seems to have been the apex of his multiple Sherlock Holmes plays. He wrote adaptations of children's adventure books: Treasure Island, Sherwood/Robin Hood. Now that he's in with the Christie estate, Orient Express is slowing down just as Death on the Nile is about to get going. Regional theatre has made him rich, no doubt, as it probably has playwright/adapter Jeffrey Hatcher. They both overlap in adapting and modernizing famous thrillers by others and writing Sherlock Holmes plays, but Hatcher's original works are a different style. Cannily, Hatcher has just written a play with both Holmes and Poirot (the character is now in public domain due to the early Christie titles).

Moon Over Buffalo was Ludwig's last original play on Broadway. Since then he just had the short-lived Tom Sawyer musical and his rewrite of the play Twentieth Century. There was a cute new play about his parents' WWII courtship at 59E59 a few months back that regional theatres will pounce on. His Shakespeare book for kids is excellent and intelligent and accessible.

Like any good documentary, this one's not in the business of giving credit but rather in showing us a complex situation and letting us decide for ourselves what it all means. It was perfectly clear to me from the first time I saw MOON OVER BROADWAY that Burnett, Bosco et al. did indeed triumph (as far as possible) over mediocre material.

But if you want it made more explicit, then I direct you to the terrific commentary track on the DVD, which can also be heard on YouTube. There, Bosco, Burnett, Landesman, Ludwig, Moore, Williams et al. react to the documentary in fascinating and complex ways. (Bosco minces no words about his frustrations with Moore and makes it clear both that yes, he went into this project because he thought that he'd be the sole star of the show, and yes, it's good that they made changes to beef up Burnett's part, because otherwise the show would have died much sooner. He also praises Burnett, Connell and Graff as expert purveyors of farce comedy.)

Poor Lynn Redgrave. She tried very hard as Burnett's temporary replacement but the laughs were gone. And having to play opposite dreadful Robert Goulet didn't help. The play did not work without Burnett. Anyone see Joan Collins and Frank Langella do it?

I'm Harvey Korman sorely missed.

I'm Philip Bosco's insult to Barbra Streisand on the commentary. What's that all about?!

Carol Burnett was certainly hard-working in the play, but I did not think she wasn't very good.

Bad material doesn't let you out alive.

Andy Taylor is an extremely talented actor and I couldn't believe how awful he was in Moon Over Buffalo. Happily, I saw him playing Leo Bloom in The Producers tour years later and he was back on top, giving a wonderful performance.

I'm Carroll O'Connor at opening night reluctantly being introduced to Ken Ludwig.

Ricky Leacock: Penny, you know exactly what's missing. As if, as if you are there.

I'm the Long Island dentist who’s good at one-liners.

I'm the uncomfortable scene where the terrible reviews are read aloud, and any non-damning snipet that can be is pulled to use in advertisements.

I'm Tom Moore's insistence that "this play will NOT be improvised." I'm also his bad Marian Seldes impression.

I'm the straw sucking scene. Ick.

I'm delusional Kate Miller insisting she's a pretty girl.

There is simply no excuse for anyone doing a bad Marian Seldes impersonation.

I'm Carol posing for "fun" pictures to send to my "chum" and totally platonic non-lez BFF Julie Andrews.

I'm also Carol handing out opening night presents though we don't see what they are.

Probably DVD sets of her anniversary specials.