Nichols and May

Nichols and May

Nichols and May was an American improvisational duo act created by Mike Nichols (1931–2014) and Elaine May (born 1932). Their three comedy albums reached the Billboard Top 40 between 1959 and 1962.[1]

Many comedians have seen them as key influential comedians in modern comedy. "You can't get any better than they were," TV host Dick Cavett remembered, "They were one of the comic meteors in the sky."[2] Woody Allen said, “the two of them came along and elevated comedy to a brand-new level".[3]

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.

Nichols and May become more famous in 1962, for John F. Kennedy's birthday, they performed, alongside Marilyn Monroe.[4]

References

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  1. Holland, Bill (September 28, 1996). '50s trailblazers brought social satire to the masses. Billboard, p. 1.
  2. "Comedy's Perfect Pair". The Attic. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  3. "Exclusive: The Reunion of Mike Nichols and Elaine May". Vanity Fair. 20 December 2012.
  4. Marks, Peter (18 May 1996). "The Brief, Brilliant Run Of Nichols and May". New York Times.