Light Up the Sky (play)
Play by Moss Hart / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Light Up the Sky is a three-act play written by the American playwright Moss Hart. It is a character-driven satire with the fast pacing of a farce, a simple plot, medium-sized cast, and only one setting. The plot concerns the interrelations of theater people before and after a first-night tryout, when they experience nervous anticipation, perceived failure, and unexpected success in sequence. The play became known before its premiere as well-founded rumors suggested some characters were modelled on actual theater personalities.[1] There are allusions to figures from the larger world of New York shows, including David Belasco and George Jean Nathan, as well as topical references to the late 1940s stage scene. The most egregious of these was Hart's mention of real drama critics[fn 1] then active in Boston, attributing to them spurious quotes for the fictional tryout.[2]
Light Up the Sky | |
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Written by | Moss Hart |
Directed by | Moss Hart |
Date premiered | November 18, 1948 (1948-11-18) |
Place premiered | Royale Theatre, New York City |
Original language | English |
Subject | Satire on the theatre |
Genre | Comedy |
Setting | Living room of a suite at the Ritz-Carlton Boston |
The play was selected as one of the best plays of 1948-1949, with an excerpted version published in "The Burns Mantle Best Plays of 1948-1949."[3]