Nichols and May
1957-1961 (as duo); revivals through 2008 · New York, NY; Chicago, IL
Also known as Mike Nichols and Elaine May
Proto-improv comedy duo that proved two-person improvised scenework could fill Broadway and sell comedy albums.
Known for
- Both were founding members of the Chicago Compass Players (1955-1957); left together in 1957.
- Their Broadway show 'An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May' (1960) won a Grammy for Best Comedy Performance.
- Three Billboard Top 40 comedy albums between 1959 and 1962.
- Performed at JFK's birthday gala in 1962 alongside Marilyn Monroe.
- Dissolved the act in 1961 — Nichols became a director (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate); May wrote/directed (The Heartbreak Kid, Ishtar, A New Leaf).
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Notes
Technically a cabaret-scripted act after Compass — but the material emerged improvisationally and they treated each performance as re-improvisation. They’re the first duo in the improv tradition and the model for every improv two-hander since (TJ & Dave, Middleditch & Schwartz, Convoy, WeirDass).
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