Light Up the Sky.

About Light Up the Sky

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. 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 then active in Boston, attributing to them spurious quotes for the fictional tryout.