Nichols and May
Encyclopedia
Nichols and May is a Grammy Award
-winning American
improvisational comedy duo act developed by Mike Nichols
and Elaine May
. Their three comedy albums reached the Billboard Top 40 between 1959 and 1962.
in the early 1950s. They began their career together at The Compass Players, a predecessor to Chicago's Second City
which included Paul Sills
, Del Close
, and Nancy Ponder. Nichols dropped out of college in 1953 and moved to New York in 1954 to study acting with Lee Strasberg
. May remained in Chicago at Compass, and Nichols returned in 1955. For a short time they worked as a trio with Shelley Berman
, but Nichols felt a duo worked better for their style. Both Nichols and May held various jobs and pursued their craft until 1957, when Compass began an expansion to St. Louis, Missouri
. Nichols rejoined the company but was fired in 1958, because May objected to Nichols' treatment of Close, and because the producer suspected Nichols and May were honing an act they planned to take with them. They soon auditioned for agent Jack Rollins
in New York, and within weeks they were booked on The Steve Allen Show
and Omnibus. Soon they were touring the country and doing voiceover work for ads, most notably a cartoon campaign for Narragansett Brewing Company
.
Their 1959, the album "Improvisations to Music" featured the pianist Marty Rubinstein playing improvisations to existing classical and popular songs, as well as original material, with humorous conversations by Nichols and May.
Their 1960 album An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May was a recording of their Broadway
debut and won a Grammy Award
for Best Comedy Performance. Their next album Mike Nichols & Elaine May Examine Doctors was also nominated for a Grammy. Following that album, the duo began exploring separate projects, though they continued to perform and appear together in projects like the 1996 television special Nichols and May: Take Two.
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
improvisational comedy duo act developed by Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols is a German-born American television, stage and film director, writer, producer and comedian. He began his career in the 1950s as one half of the comedy duo Nichols and May, along with Elaine May. In 1968 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film The Graduate...
and Elaine May
Elaine May
Elaine May is an American film director, screenwriter and actress. She achieved her greatest fame in the 1950s from her improvisational comedy routines in partnership with Mike Nichols...
. Their three comedy albums reached the Billboard Top 40 between 1959 and 1962.
Development and collaboration
Nichols and May met as students at the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in the early 1950s. They began their career together at The Compass Players, a predecessor to Chicago's Second City
Second City
Second City or The Second City may refer to:* The second largest city in a country. See: List of largest cities and second largest cities by country...
which included Paul Sills
Paul Sills
Paul Sills was a director and improvisation teacher, and the original director of Chicago's The Second City.-Biography:...
, Del Close
Del Close
Del Close was an actor, improviser, writer, and teacher. Considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows...
, and Nancy Ponder. Nichols dropped out of college in 1953 and moved to New York in 1954 to study acting with Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective"...
. May remained in Chicago at Compass, and Nichols returned in 1955. For a short time they worked as a trio with Shelley Berman
Shelley Berman
Sheldon "Shelley" Berman is an American comedian, actor, writer, teacher, lecturer, and poet.- Early life :Berman was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Irene and Nathan Berman.- Career :...
, but Nichols felt a duo worked better for their style. Both Nichols and May held various jobs and pursued their craft until 1957, when Compass began an expansion to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. Nichols rejoined the company but was fired in 1958, because May objected to Nichols' treatment of Close, and because the producer suspected Nichols and May were honing an act they planned to take with them. They soon auditioned for agent Jack Rollins
Jack Rollins (producer)
Jack Rollins is an American film producer and former manager of numerous successful comedians and television personalities.He was born on March 23, 1915, and is best known for his successful partnership with Charles H...
in New York, and within weeks they were booked on The Steve Allen Show
The Steve Allen Show
The Steve Allen Show is an American variety show hosted by Steve Allen from June 1956 to June 1960 on NBC, from September 1961 to December 1961 on ABC, and in first-run syndication from 1962 to 1964....
and Omnibus. Soon they were touring the country and doing voiceover work for ads, most notably a cartoon campaign for Narragansett Brewing Company
Narragansett Brewing Company
The Narragansett Brewing Company was founded in Cranston, Rhode Island, USA, in 1890. It was closed on July 31, 1981, and then re-established in 2005....
.
Their 1959, the album "Improvisations to Music" featured the pianist Marty Rubinstein playing improvisations to existing classical and popular songs, as well as original material, with humorous conversations by Nichols and May.
Their 1960 album An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May was a recording of their Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut and won a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Comedy Performance. Their next album Mike Nichols & Elaine May Examine Doctors was also nominated for a Grammy. Following that album, the duo began exploring separate projects, though they continued to perform and appear together in projects like the 1996 television special Nichols and May: Take Two.
Discography
- Improvisations to Music (1959) Mercury
- An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May (1960) Mercury
- Mike Nichols & Elaine May Examine Doctors (1962) Mercury MG 20680/SR 60680
- In Retrospect (1982) Polygram, re-released as compact discCompact DiscThe Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
in 1996
External links
- Nichols and May via Comedy College
- Nichols and May via Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
- Nichols and May voiceover ads via Narragansett Brewing CompanyNarragansett Brewing CompanyThe Narragansett Brewing Company was founded in Cranston, Rhode Island, USA, in 1890. It was closed on July 31, 1981, and then re-established in 2005....