Reviews

A COMEDY OF TENORS

"Ken Ludwig is a comedic genius...A Comedy of Tenors is full of non-stop hilarity."
-Princeton Found

“Sometimes, whether through divine intervention or the heights of human inspiration, art is elevated to a higher level and becomes transcendent. Evidence of this can be found in the masterworks of Monet, Mozart, Michelangelo and, now, Ludwig.”
- The New Herald

“Everything in this world premiere sparkles – from its set and sumptuous period … to the winning performances of its superb cast.”
- Cleveland.com

“From conception to execution, everything about “A Comedy of Tenors” hits on all comedic cylinders and, as advertised, is laugh-out-loud funny.”
– The New Herald

“Karl Marx…once said that “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.” In Ludwig’s case, the history of his plays begin as farce and repeat as transcendent comedy sure to have a long life and remarkable success."
– Cleveland Jewish News

“Laugh after laugh greets one improbable scene after another. Ludwig knows no ridiculous limits.”
– BroadwayWorld.com

“Playwright Ken Ludwig has hit the jackpot again with his fast-paced, over-the-top farce A Comedy of Tenors…”
– Beacon Journal

“If you love farce, if you go to the theater to have a good time, you must see A COMEDY OF TENORS.”
– RoyBerko.info

BASKERVILLE

“Ingeniously funny … Ludwig had done a remarkable job adapting Doyle's story to the stage while putting his own twist on a classic.”
Broadway World

“Comedy gold … [Baskerville] finds the perfect mix of slapstick and thrills.”Theatermania

“★★★★½. Theatrical bliss … this is a winning evening of enjoyment.”DC Metro Theater Arts

“Dazzling … Baskerville [is] a master class in olde tyme theatre and a bellyful of laughs.”MD Theatre Guide

“Comedy is a rarity in our town. Silliness even rarer. If that’s what’s missing in your life, then it’s elementary, my dear reader. Get to Arena Stage.”
DC Theatre Scene

“Side-splittingly funny.”
Woman Around Town

“Comical and contemporary. An elementary must-see.”
K Street Magazine (formerly K Street Kate)

"Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery is pure theatrical delight from start to finish. The comedy-mystery from the award-winning playwright provides nonstop action, laughs and thrills on every level."
San Diego Jewish World

“Baskerville is a joy. It’s hilarious and ridiculous and incredibly well done.”

THE GAME'S AFOOT

"An inspired whodunit…a snappy, clever drawing-room mystery. There are twists in playwright Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot that cause the audience to gasp."
-The Cleveland Plain Dealer

“The Game’s Afoot is Murderously Funny!”
-Broadway World Cleveland

"The play evolves like a mystery thriller, as one tantalizing clue leads to another….In 1936, at the height of the Great Depression, people flocked to the theater for a few hours of escapism from hard times. Today, in our current recession, here is an antidote and the ideal holiday present - the gift of laughter.”
-Cleveland Jewish news

“Ludwig demonstrates the theatrical equivalent of perfect pitch, both in this new work and in his past efforts.”
-Cleveland Scene

"From the intriguing opening mini play within a play to the surprise last scene a split second before final curtain, The Game’s Afoot gives you everything you love about great live theatre. Billed as a comedy thriller you will find yourself swept along for a wild and funny ride.”
-Cleveland Examiner

"a hilarious, quirky and thrilling alternative to your standard holiday entertainment. The Game’s Afoot is the perfect gift for the holidays..a fantastically fun night out at the theatre. It’s something we can be proud of as a city”
-Clue into Cleveland.com

“The Game’s Afoot will be performed by professional and community theaters across the country. Certainly this production is Broadway quality.”
-Talkin Broadway.com

A FOX ON THE FAIRWAY

"It’s a grand slam! A slam dunk! A Dunkin’ Donut hole! A hole in one! A Fox on the Fairway hums like a well-oiled machine but retains its human soul."
The Washington City Paper

"Hilarious! There's great fun waiting for you with "A Fox on the Fairway."
The Fairfax Times

A Fox on the Fairway is phenomenally funny!”
--NJ Star Ledger

“Three words best describe A Fox on the Fairway…Hilarious, hilarious and hilarious. The audience was howling with joy.”
The Examiner

“Ken Ludwig has written a masterpiece (with) all of the elements that will most certainly make it a hit show from coast to coast.”
Out in NJ

“Ken Ludwig has a wicked sense of comedic anarchy, giving his characters such zany idiosyncrasies that they soar to dizzying heights!”
The Washington Examiner

“There’s something magical about the sound of explosive laughter in a theater. That is the kind of magic offered with Ken Ludwig’s A Fox on the Fairway.”
Alexandria Gazette Packet

"An uproarious madcap romp!"
Ruth Ross, njartsmaven.com

"Farce raised to an art."
The Home-News Tribune

CRAZY FOR YOU

"When future historians try to find the exact moment at which Broadway finally rose up to grab the musical back from the British, they just may conclude that the revolution began last night. The shot was fired at the Shubert Theater, where a riotously entertaining show called Crazy for You uncorked the American musical's classic blend of music, laughter, dancing, sentiment and showmanship with a freshness and confidence rarely seen during the Cats decade. The miracle has been worked here most ingeniously, though not exclusively, by an extraordinary choreographer named Susan Stroman and the playwright Ken Ludwig."
Frank Rich, New York Times

"It is heaven on earth. Everything an American musical comedy should be."
The New Yorker

"It's no easy task writing a new book for a half a dozen of the best songs ever written for Broadway, and keeping the style of the song-writers, especially when they happen to be named George and Ira Gerwhin, but that's just what Lend Me A Tenor's Ken Ludwig has done with his newest, Crazy For You, the absolutely smashing, razzle-dazzle musical which opened Wednesday night at the Shubert Theater."
CBS-Radio

"The brass and the gold of Broadway are back! Ludwig excels in wonderful vaudeville put-down and shows off his neat timing for comedy. Crazy For You will doubtless have audiences crazy for it through a blissfully indefinite future."
The New York Post

"An explosion of joy! Something scrumptious indeed. Things are looking up!"
The New York Daily News

"A firecracker of a show! A fizzy new libretto by Ken Ludwig and the choreography of your dreams by Susan Stroman."
USA Today

"This show has enough energy to light up Broadway for a decade, and that's how long it may run. Crazy For You is a knockout smash hit."
WNYW-New York

"Ken Ludwig delivers surprise after surprise. He has written one of the funniest shows around.;
The Philadelphia Inquirer

"A Great Broadway Musical! A show to take your kids to. … A show friends come in from out-of-town just to see!"
WABC-TV

"Pure Joy! The concept is brilliant."
Newsweek

"A knockout smash hit! Great music, witty lyrics … and a nonstop sense of fun."
WNYW-TV

"Wow! What at show! It is absolutely fabulous!"
WWOR-TV

"Broadway's newest hit! It's terrific!"
NBC-TV

"Frantically funny!"
Malden Observer

LEND ME A TENOR

"One of the classic comedies of the 20th century."
The Washington Post

"A remarkable piece of theatre … a masterpiece … Author Ken Ludwig has verve, a sound grasp of plot mechanics and a rare ability to couple high art with low comedy."
The London Times

“One of the two great farces by a living writer.”
The New York Times

"The most inventive, original farce in a long time …"
Punch

"A furiously paced comedy with more than a touch of the Marx brothers … A marvelous combination of wonderful farcical moments and funny lines. …"
Time Out

"Hilariously over the top."
The Manchester Guardian

"Fills the theatre with the sound of laughter."
The (London) Sunday Express

"Free flowing honest-to-goodness unforced farce."
New York Magazine

"It's hilarious … The funniest show on Broadway."
WNEW

"The Big Winner!"
New York Daily News

"Non stop laughter."
Variety

"Uproarious! Hysterical!"
USA Today.

"A rib tickling comedy."
The New York Post.

"Screamingly funny!"
CBS Radio.

[A] three-ring circus of chaos involving celebrity worship, backstage shenanigans and mistaken identities.
Desert News

BE MY BABY

"Playwright Ken Ludwig is to contemporary domestic stage comedy what Arthur Miller was to the dramatic theater of his time...With "Be My Baby," he may have unlocked the mystery of filling theater seats."
Contra Costa Times

"Hilarious!"
Variety

"A gentler brand of comedy … It's a pleasure to encounter a comedy about two mature individuals. [I]t's perfect."
The Houston Chronicle

"Funny, filled with laughs and a whole lot of fun!"
Contra Costa Times

"Packs a memorable, quiet punch for theatergoers."
The Houston Press

"The "don't miss" show of the season, a funny, feel-good kind of show that makes you warm all over."
Southwest News

SULLIVAN AND GILBERT

"A charming show."
Boston Globe

"A warm, and affectionate behind the scenes look at this tempestuous, hilarious relationship."
Middlesex News

"For fans of the duo's music, Sullivan and Gilbert is a must-see."
Contra Coasta Times

SHAKESPEARE IN HOLLYWOOD

"'Shakespeare in Hollywood' will charm your socks off. It left me smiling in my Amtrak aisle seat all the way home to New York."
The Wall Street Journal

"Shakespeare in Hollywood is so deliciously inventive, you'd swear Ludwig and the Bard were in cahoots. At once poignant and funny, literary and farcical, sophisticated and silly, political and fanciful, high-brow and low-brow … a delight!"
The Baltimore Sun

"Lights, camera, action -- there's plenty of it in Ken Ludwig's fantastical farce … Ludwig has constructed an amazingly dense and layered romp [and] clearly had a ball fusing Shakespearean diction with the wisecracking verbal jousting that characterized pre-World War II comedies."
The Boston Globe

"A fast, funny, entertaining night."
NBC 4

"Mischief, mayhem and laughter abound as the Good Theater tackles this farcical notion in Ken Ludwig's devilishly funny play "Shakespeare in Hollywood." ...There's never a dull moment in this fun-filled piece."
The Portland Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram

"Wit Makes a Hit!"
The Advocate, Baton Rouge LA

TWENTIETH CENTURY

"This makes you fall in love with the theater all over again! . . . A really good time!"
Journal News

"Perfection! . . . A nostalgic moment of flawless parody . . . If you need to laugh, don't miss this one!"
Liz Smith

"A sparkling champagne cocktail of a play, dahlings, that has aged well if not perfectly!"
Mercury News

"Hilarious."
N.Y. Post

"Vintage snap and crackle!"
Newark Star Ledger

"A thrilling funhouse ride!"
The New Yorker

"A Hoot!"
The Wall Street Journal

"A breathless joyride! Hysterical, madcap mayhem!"
NY1

TREASURE ISLAND

"Hit Ahoy! Treasure Island is the answer to every adventure-starved child's prayers: a racy, pacy, tough-as-old-boots adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's swashbuckling classic. A Festive Treat to Tresure!"
London Telegraph

"Ken Ludwig's new adaptation of Treasure Island is a meaty, powerfully staged evening aboard the good ship Hispaniola … Nothing here conforms to tradition or expectation …Ludwig invents a new spine to Robert Louis Stevenson's great story of skulduggery and gold-digging on the high seas!"
What's On Stage

"Five Stars! Ken Ludwig's new version invests a gripping yarn with a genuinely rough-and-ready buccaneering spirit. It flies the flag for good-old fashioned ensemble story-telling...X marks the spot of a bona fide festive treat!"
London Telegraph

"Ken Ludwig's skillfully filleted account of Robert Louis Stevenson's imperishable adventure...is a delightful surprise."
The Independent

"Adapted with respectful enthusiasm and savvy showmanship by playwright Ken Ludwig ... the show could usefully serve many youngsters as an introduction to the magic of live theater."
Variety

"[A] streamlined and often exciting entertainment for audiences of all ages."
Variety

"Parents searching high and low for adult-friendly, non-red-and-green kids' theater this holiday season can call off the hunt. Then, dust off the old wooden leg, strap on your most intimidating eye patch and set sail for 'Treasure Island.'" ReadExpress.com

"Ken Ludwig's adaptation of this classic novel is an adventure for the entire family...everyone is happy. Even Dad." ReadExpress.com

THE THREE MUSKETEERS

"[A] slick, swashbuckling romp that cleverly updates the Dumas novel ... Ken Ludwig's new version of the story simply refreshes it, distilling its energy and strengthening its timeless appeal."
The Guardian

"Ludwig tells a pacy tale with a suitable seasonal mix of merriment, musketeering, romance and the most gruesome stage death I've seen this year."
The Mail On Sunday

"Four Stars Out Of Four. The Bristol Old Vic has come up with a real winner for its festive production. Ken Ludwig's adaptation of Alexandre Dumas's classic yarn is completely in keeping with the most popular Hollywood versions."
The Bristol Evening Post

"Four Stars Out Of Four. Bristol Old Vic's spectacular new production certainly lives up to its swashbuckling billing. [It's] a mixture of love, adventure and good old fashioned values ..."
Bristol Metro

"Breathtakingly authentic. Just the right seasonal mix of low comedy, stirring music, catchphrases ancient and modern and designs that suggest Hollywood in its heyday."
The Stage (London)

"[A} humorous script, lively characters and plenty of swash-buckling action ... the best Christmas show the Old Vic has produced in several years."
The BBC

LEADING LADIES

"Ken Ludwig's script is fairly groaning with giggles. In short, about as much fun as you would expect, and then a little more."
Venue Magazine

"Ludwig's newest comedy is so funny, it will make sophisticated and reasonable men and women of the 21st century cackle till their faces hurt."
The Houston Press

"Leading Ladies is consistently funny - indeed, increasingly hilarious as it progresses."
The Houston Chronicle

"Look for Leading Ladies to become a staple of summer stock and community theatres. And, mind you, I mean that as a compliment."
Variety

"Ken Ludwig gives the audience something powerful and potent: laughter and a guiltless evening of Theatre-going."
Village News

"Leading Ladies is a highly combustible and continuously hilarious new comedy by Ken Ludwig, Broadway's reigning comic writer."
The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Ludwig's laugh-a-second (yes, they do come that fast) farce, will surely join "Charley's Aunt" ... in the repertories of regional and community theatres for decades to come."
The San Diego Union-Tribune

"Ken Ludwig has hit it out of the park, or theatre rather, again!"
Stephens College

"Two English Shakespearean actors are down-on-their-luck - so down-on-their-luck, in fact, that they end up performing Shakespeare on the Moose Lodge circuit in Pennsylvania's Amish Country. Enter romantic interest and the need to become legitimate. This play just gets funnier as Jack and Leo hatch a plot to pass themselves off as two English women to scam an elderly woman of her fortune. Disastrous decisions lead to hilarious comedy worthy of Ken Ludwig who also penned Lend me a Tenor."
Pittsburgh Live on Leading Ladies at The Mountain Playhouse

THE BEAUX' STRATAGEM

"Funny … The production glides confidently from silly to wry, from the pratfall to the riposte … Suave Christopher Innvar and tart Veanne Cox [are] polished comic actors who seem as smart as the words they utter."
Peter Marks, The Washington Post

"Perfectly enchanting … It's quick, funny and still capable of taking a swipe or two at convention. Cox is, not to put too fine a point on it, intoxicating."
Trey Graham, Washington City Paper

"Delicious … The incomparable Nancy Robinette plays Lady Bountiful with maniacal glee."
Leslie Milk, The Washingtonian

"A delightful romp … A sparklingly funny evening that, under the superb direction of Michael Kahn, plays very well indeed. Innvar is often hilarious."
Brad Hathaway, Potomac Stages

"A great cast … One of the best nights you'll spend in the theater."
Grace Cavalieri, The Montserrat Review

"Sheer laugh-out-loud fun … Farquhar, Wilder and Ludwig all had such a good time skewering the institution of marriage … that laughter is the only possible reaction. Kahn has put together a superb production."
Lucia Anderson, The Free Lance-Star

"Funny is funny! Cox is pure delight. Robinette is exquisite."
Margaret Lawrence, Culpeper Star-Exponent

"A sparkling production … The dialogue crackles, the characters engage the audience's interest and sympathy, and the whole thing seems almost effortless."
Susan Berlin, TalkinBroadway.com

"Irresistible … A delightful holiday gift."
Marilou Donahue, Artistically Speaking

"The Beaux Stratagem's satirical portrayal of marriage and courtship is disarmingly charming and witty. One of Shakespeare Theatre's finest performances to date."
Natalie Koss, On Tap

"Laugh-out-loud comedy … In this strong cast, Veanne Cox is a standout."
Barbara Greiling, Potomac News

"A romp … with a very funny script and a lively production."
David Cannon, Sentinel Newspaper

MOON OVER BUFFALO

"Somewhere up above, George S. Kaufman, Abe Burrows, Moss Hart and all those clever fellows who wrote the comedies of yesteryear are rolling with laughter, echoing the audience last night at Moon Over Buffalo. The play is nothing less than a love letter to live theater."
Boston Herald

"Wildly funny!"
ABC News

"Ken Ludwig's 'Moon Over Buffalo' tops the mayhem and pitch-perfect farce of his other hit, 'Lend Me a Tenor.'"
Orange County Register

"Moon Over Buffalo packs more comic genius onto the stage than anything in recent memory!"
USA Today

"Ken Ludwig is one of those rare contemporary playwrights who thinks in terms of old-fashioned knockabout farce, and that's something to be cherished."
The New York Times

"[R]oles that any actor of a certain age would give his or her soul to play."
The Boston Herald

"Comedy Triumphant. A completely side-splitting joy. Just go by 45th Street around 8 o'clock and you'll hear the theatre rollicking."
WCBS-TV

"The funniest show in New York … The comedy has audiences rolling in the aisles. The second act has a show-within-a-show spoof of "Private Lives" with everybody in the wrong costumes reading the wrong lines. This has to be one of the most hysterical things ever put onstage. I have seen Moon Over Buffalo three times! I expect you to see it once."
New York Post (Liz Smith)

"Moon Over Buffalo is hilarious! Ludwig stuffs his play with comic invention, running gags and neat sense of absurdity. An evening of farcical delight. Go and enjoy!"
New York Post (Clive Barnes)

"Moon Over Buffalo is by far Broadway's funniest, most enjoyable lighthearted play. Buy a ticket!"
Entertainment Weekly

"Riotously funny."
WWOR-TV

"A zany, madcap delight!"
WHDH-TV

"Very, very funny with lots of belly laughs!"
WCVB-TV

"Moon is raucous and hilarious!"
WPKO-AM

"[It] doesn't let you stop laughing"
The Rutland Herald

"Stuffed with comic invention, running gags and a superb sense of absurdity, this is truly a love-letter to live theatre."
Insidebayarea.com

"Moon Over Buffalo will certainly make you laugh!"
The Capital, Annapolis, MD

THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER

"Tom Sawyer [is] fast-moving and bright … [It] overflows with innocence and affection."
The Washington Post

"Joyous, wholesome, literate and wonderfully realized... guaranteed to dazzle and enchant children and adults alike."
TalkinBroadway.com

‘Twas The Night Before Christmas

“A momentum and ebullience worthy of the Pixar era animate this world-premiere play, whose story line involves a heist, a duel with rapiers, some hip-hop, a squirt gun, a perilous airplane flight and an elf’s stint as a secret agent.”
-The Washington Post

“Such a playful spirit romps through “ ’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” you might think the show itself was a product of Santa’s workshop.”
-The Washington Post

“A grand Christmas adventure, filled with schemes, confrontations, mistaken identities, bravery, and all things naughty and nice! … this journey is an exciting one that I guarantee your children will love! Put some tickets in your kids’ Christmas stockings. It will make a great holiday gift.”
-MD TheatreGuide

Sherwood

CRITIC'S CHOICE
“Fun, frothy summer entertainment! A brightly colored, lighthearted take on the legend, which audiences may find just right for a summer evening in Balboa Park.”
—The San Diego Union-Tribune

“An ingenious production! The marvelous, chameleon-like cast of eight keeps us delighted, amused and engaged. Whether you relish swashbuckling adventure, amorous exploits, or good triumphing over evil, you'll find what you're looking for here. The humor consistently hits the mark.”
—KSDS JAZZ 88

“A comedic spin! The merriment of this show's merry men—and women—is contagious, making Ken Ludwig's Robin Hood!'s exclamation point well deserved.”
—Sarasota Magazine

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS

"The fast-moving, powerful theatrical locomotive Murder on the Orient Express will get you to a better place, and slay you merrily en route." Hartford Courant

"Agatha Christie is not the bestselling novelist in history for nothing, and Ken Ludwig’s adaptation strikes the perfect balance of the cerebral and the comic. Get on board – it’s a great ride.” / Houstonian Magazine

“I felt myself leaning in with the entire audience when detective Poirot tells us he’s figured out who did it. What a climax! When the train whistle blows in the theater, all we need to do is sit down, shut up and enjoy." / The Houston Chronicle

"A love letter to the original material, with a swift moving script adaptation by Ken Ludwig. ...  [E]verything you could want - broadly drawn characters, exotic settings, and a spectacular murder with no shortage of suspects." / Broadway World

Tiny Tims' Christmas Carol

"[Tiny Tim's Christmas Carol] is a gift you’ll be totally glad you received." - MD Theatre Guide, Read More

"This exciting new adaptation by Ken and Jack Ludwig engages children of all ages into the fantastical Christmas tale written by Charles Dickens so many years ago." - Theatre Bloom, Read More

MIDSUMMER/JERSEY

"Appealing to the cultural tastes and theatrical ambitions of the [next] generation" - The Washington Post

"A sensational jest of pop culture and examines the test of true love... An explosive combination of brassy personalities and bold hilarity"- Fairfax Station Patch

Dear Jack, Dear Louise

“An affecting love letter to unlikely romance... a poignant, funny tribute to the enduring power of human connection.” – The Washington Post

“Moving and cinematic... The play, based on the correspondence of Ludwig’s parents-to-be, crackles with humor and real feeling on its way to its happy ending. That’s because Ludwig, known for Crazy for You, Lend Me a Tenor and other heartfelt works, knows how to write emotional, enlivening dialogue without dipping into Hallmark Channel schmaltz.” – DC Theatre Scene

“An intimate play with tremendous breadth... Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise plumbs the depths of human courage, commitment, and connection when the world and your heart are at stake.” – DC Metro Theater Arts

“Strikes the touchstones of the online dating age with uncanny precision.” – The Washington Post