Last Chance to See Neil Simon’s Comedy Before It Closes Sunday
If you have been meaning to catch Allen Contemporary Theatre’s current production, the window closes this weekend. Neil Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor runs its final performances Aug. 28 through Aug. 30 at 1210 E. Main St., Suite 300 — a short drive from downtown Allen that residents with any interest in local live theater should pencil in now.
The show wraps a limited engagement that has brought one of Simon’s sharper ensemble comedies to a community stage that punches well above its modest square footage.
What the Play Is About
Set in the 1950s, Laughter on the 23rd Floor follows a team of staff writers working on a television variety show, all of them jockeying for the attention and approval of a mercurial star. Simon drew on his own early career experience in the writers’ rooms of early American television, and the result is a comedy that runs on rapid-fire banter, distinct personalities, and the low-stakes but high-drama politics of a shared workspace.
For Allen audiences who know Simon primarily from The Odd Couple or Brighton Beach Memoirs, this one skews more ensemble and less two-hander. It is a good entry point if you have not yet seen what Allen Contemporary Theatre’s casts can do with a talky, character-dense script.
Performance Schedule and Logistics
Three performances remain:
Friday, Aug. 28
- 8:00 p.m. — Evening performance
Saturday, Aug. 29
- 8:00 p.m. — Evening performance
Sunday, Aug. 30
- 3:00 p.m. — Matinee
The theater is located at 1210 E. Main St., Suite 300, Allen, TX 75002. Suite 300 puts it on an upper floor of a mixed-use building on Main — first-timers should allow a few extra minutes to locate the entrance and make their way up before curtain.
Ticket information and reservations are available directly through the Allen Contemporary Theatre website. Booking ahead is the practical move for a final-weekend run; walk-up availability at a closing performance is never guaranteed.
Why This Production Matters for Allen’s Arts Scene
Allen Contemporary Theatre operates as an independent community company, which means the productions here are cast and crewed largely by North Texas residents who rehearse evenings and weekends alongside day jobs. That context matters when you are deciding where to spend a Friday or Saturday night.
A Neil Simon script is also a specific kind of test for a community ensemble. The comedy depends on timing, overlapping voices, and the sense that every character in the room has an interior life that extends beyond the scene. Productions that pull it off tend to be the ones worth talking about, and this run has reached its final weekend — generally a reliable indicator that the house has been responding well enough to fill seats through the full engagement.
The Sunday matinee at 3:00 p.m. is worth noting for families with older children comfortable with fast dialogue, or for anyone who prefers to be home before dark. The Friday and Saturday evening shows at 8:00 p.m. are straightforward date-night territory, and E. Main St. has enough within walking distance to make a full evening of it if you arrive early.
Planning Your Visit
- Address: 1210 E. Main St., Suite 300, Allen, TX 75002
- Remaining dates: Aug. 28 (Fri.), Aug. 29 (Sat.) at 8:00 p.m.; Aug. 30 (Sun.) at 3:00 p.m.
- Tickets: allencontemporarytheatre.net
After Sunday, the run is done. There is no announced extension.
