Listen No. 29 - An evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May

Record number 29: An evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May 

Genre: Comedy 

Context: Another of Richard’s faves, and he introduced me to some of their sketches (Telephone, Mother and Son). The Broadway show that is the basis for this album opened in 1960.

Notable facts: Mike Nichols (who died in 2014) worked in every medium, and is known for directing The Graduate. But I didn’t know that he also directed one of my favourite films - Silkwood. 

Elaine May (still alive) has had a long, and some say undervalued, career in directing and screenwriting. Her contribution to Tootsie, another film I love, is credited with making the story work. For a good look at her output, see this article.

My favourite track: Telephone. On a grey Hastings day, in a low mood, I laughed a lot. 

What critics made of it: Woody Allen said ‘the two of them came along and elevated comedy to a brand-new level’. See also this article from 1961.

Listening to this inspired me to: watch more of the films they’ve been involved with.