Any of the plays of Britain's Alan Ayckbourn, who is often referred to as the "British Neil Simon" because of his commercial popularity, his ability to create laughter, and his prolific number of hits. More respected by critics, Ayckbourn is signficantly more daring technically and much more profound in his use of comedy than Simon.

Taking Laughter Seriously, by John Morreall, SUNY Press, 1983. A concise discussion of the psychological elements that underlie laughter, with a concluding chapter discussing humor as a way of looking at life.

The Gingerbread Lady (1970), God's Favorite (1974), Chapter Two (1977), or Lost in Yonkers (1991) as examples of Neil Simon plays that work with darker materials and make more of an attempt to balance humor with seriousness.

The Sunshine Boys (1972) for another fascinating Neil Simon "pair," this time two, old, vaudevillian comics who have a love-hate relationship with...