WTVP broadcast James Lapine’s play, “Act One” on Nov. 23 as part of the “Live From Lincoln Center” series. The play, which was also directed by Mr. Lapine, is an adaptation of the autobiography of Moss Hart of the same name and is a rags to riches story of growing up in a tenement in the Bronx to find fame and fortune on Broadway. The three level revolving set won the Tony Award and made a significant contribution to the success of the production. However, without a compelling story and characters the audience cares about, all the “production” in the world will not make for a successful evening. (Twenty minutes into “Cats,” I was bored out of my skull as I simply did not care about the cats and all their issues). In the case of “Act One,” the issue is will an inexperienced, but talented, young man make it, not just in show biz, but in life. When he gets a major opportunity to collaborate with the most successful Broadway playwright, George S. Kaufman, will he be able to make good? Hart’s story then follows all the long days and late nights of the writing collaboration to bring “Once In A Lifetime” to Broadway starting with the out of town opening which was a flop to the eventual triumph of opening night. It is a beloved fable of show biz, which just so happens to be true. Mr. Lapine’s play captures all the stress, thought and struggle involved in creating a successful evening of theater.

Unfortunately I cannot report the same success in recent local productions of: “High Fidelity,” “Heathers” or “The Drunken City.” Each had some good performances and production but the writing was as if Kaufman and Hart had said “it’s good enough” after their out of town flop. “Fidelity” and “Heathers” are musical adaptations of B-movies and may be summarized as breaking up is hard to do and high school clicks are vicious, no news in either case, and I left each performance at intermission. There comes a time when one must re-evaluate and cut one’s losses. I understand the exigencies of developing a younger audience and therefore attempting material that might do that. After all, the title of this column is “The Magnificent Invalid,” a reference to theater’s struggle to be relevant in an age of digital entertainment, but writing that utilizes cartoon characters, commoditized music and hackneyed situations will not get the job done.

This town is ga-ga for musicals. These two musical offerings suggest our demand exceeds the supply and just as Herman’s Hermits washed up on our shores as part of the British Invasion of the ’60s, so do these musicals serve to announce a market for mediocrity. The late director and acting coach, Gene Frankel once stated the attraction of theater lay in the power of its incomparable literature, a tradition that began over two thousand years ago and continues today. That literature, whether old or contemporary, provides insight into our humanity so that we leave the theater enriched, not diminished. “The Drunken City” at ICC was a slight play about working class Jersey girls on a tear in Manhattan to celebrate the engagement and pending wedding of Marnie, well played by Hannah Gidcumb. The action explores the social, family and peer pressure she has to overcome to admit that she has made a mistake and the confidence needed to act on what she knows to be the right thing. The play ran about 80 minutes. It was refreshing to see a performance that did not use head mics that have become standard for musicals. Much of the play is five drunks on the street and the shrieking and screeching became a bit much, but then active drunkenness is not an easy thing to play.

I will give a reading of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” at the GAR Hall at 3 p.m. Dec. 6. The reading is about 80 minutes with an intermission for refreshments and recorder music. A $10 donation is suggested to help cover costs, but no one will be turned away thanks to the generosity of Theo Jean Kenyon who has produced the afternoon for the past three years. If you are looking for holiday entertainment for the family, I shall do my best to deliver.