Caught the show this weekend in Los Angeles, had an amazing time. The precision and skill it takes to do this kind of comedy as succesfully as Mischeif theater does it cannot be understated. The way Henry Shields can take a pratfall without telegraphing any of what is about to happen, Jonathan Sayer can wring comedy out of a scream, or Nancy Zamit can keep a smile on her face while conveying a sense of utter panic....it's a masterclass.
Bradley Whitford was in as the Narrator fitting right in. His disdain at the lunacy around him was hysterical. Delightfully, he was very much playing an ego-centric version of himself, at one point carrying out his Emmys to remind everyone that he was an award winning actor, and openly admitting that he was only there because he needed work during the SAG strike.
Can anyone who caught Neil Patrick Harris or Ellie Kempner on broadway confirm whether or not there were similar self-referential jokes? From what I've been able to gleam, It seems like NPH didn't play himself, he played Francis Beaumont playing the narrator. Is that correct? Did Ellie Kempner play a version of herself? I know that she, like Whitford, didn't play Francis's other role of Cecco the Pirate. Very curious to know how this worked.
