The Book of Mormon (musical) with tyrannical, charismatic men with way too many children, our heroes... must confront a one-eyed, genocidal warlord with an unprintable name... That's enough to test the faith of even the most optimistic gospel spreaders (not to mention songwriters). Yet in setting these dark elements to sunny melodies "The Book of Mormon" achieves something like a miracle. It both makes fun of and ardently embraces the all-American art form of the inspirational book musical. No Broadway show has so successfully had it both ways since Mel Brooks adapted his film "The Producers" for the stage a decade ago." Jon Stewart, host
Mel Tolkin by Brooks, and the Broadway play "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" (1993), written by Neil Simon. Mel Tolkin Mel Tolkin, né Shmuel Tolchinsky (August 3, 1913 – November 26, 2007), was a television comedy writer best known as head writer of the live sketch comedy series "Your Show of Shows" (NBC, 1950–1954) during the Golden Age of Television. There he presided over a staff that at times included Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, and Danny Simon. The writers' room inspired the film "My Favorite Year" (1982), produced by Brooks, and the Broadway play "Laughter on the 23rd Floor" (1993), written by