A Teaspoon Every Four Hours
| A Teaspoon Every Four Hours | |
|---|---|
| Written by |
Jackie Mason Mike Mortman |
| Date premiered | June 14, 1969 |
| Place premiered | ANTA Theatre |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | New York City |
A Teaspoon Every Four Hours is a comedy play written by Jackie Mason and Mike Mortman which was produced on Broadway in 1969. The play set a Broadway record by having 97 previews before its official opening. After its official opening, A Teaspoon Every Four Hours closed after only one performance.
The play became the subject of public attention once again in 2011, when the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark announced a delay to its official opening, which eventually resulted in its breaking A Teaspoon Every Four Hours′ record for the most previews ever by a Broadway show which officially opened. (In 1976, the sexually themed musical revue Let My People Come played 128 performances but never officially opened.)
Nat Weiss (played by Mason himself in the Broadway production) is a Jewish widower who learns that his son is in love with a black woman. Eventually Nat himself falls in love with the woman's mother. The play's title is not explained in the play itself.
Besides Mason in the lead role, the Broadway cast also included Barry Pearl as the son, Vera Moore as the son's girlfriend, Billie Allen as her mother, Bernie West, Marilyn Cooper, Lee Wallace, and Lee Meredith.
Years later, Mason commented on the show and reactions to it: "It must have had the longest preview run in Broadway history -- ninety-seven performances. After every performance, I came out and asked for opinions from the audience. They loved that. It made them feel like philosophers. I also promoted the play on every TV show I did. All this convinced me I had a big hit. The show opened and closed in one day. The critics said it was the worst crap they ever saw. Where does this schlemiel get the idea he's an actor and a playwright? He should go into a different business. And so on. It didn't make me feel too good. But I told myself that life is too short, that you have to keep moving, that you're lucky to be on earth in the position you're in."
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