Editing Larry Gelbart (section)

===Broadway===
Gelbart co-wrote the long-running [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] [[farce|musical farce]] ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]'' with [[Burt Shevelove]] and [[Stephen Sondheim]] in 1962. After the show received poor reviews and box-office returns during its previews in Washington, D.C., rewrites and restaging helped; it was a smash Broadway hit and ran for 964 performances. Its book won a [[Tony Award]]. In a 1991 published edition of the musical, Gelbart wrote "it remains for me the best piece of work I've been lucky enough to see my name on."  A film version starring [[Zero Mostel]] and directed by [[Richard Lester]], was released in 1966. Gelbart was critical of the movie, as most of his and Shevelove's [[libretto]] was largely rewritten.

Gelbart's other Broadway credits include the musical ''[[City of Angels (musical)|City of Angels]]'', which won him the [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical]], the [[Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical]], and an [[Edgar Award]] and an off-Broadway musical, ''In The Beginning'', a satirical take on the Bible, with music and lyrics by [[Maury Yeston]]. He also wrote the [[Iran-Contra affair|Iran-Contra]] [[satire]] ''[[Mastergate (play)|Mastergate]]'', as well as ''[[Sly Fox]]'' and a musical adaptation of the [[Preston Sturges]] movie ''[[Hail the Conquering Hero]]'', whose grueling development inspired Gelbart to utter what evolved into the classic quip, "If [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] is alive, I hope he's out of town with a musical."<ref>See e.g. {{cite news |last=Barthel |first=Joan |date=February 25, 1968 |title=Life for Simon—-Not That Simple |newspaper=The New York Times |page=D9}}, cited in 
{{cite web |last=Popik |first=Barry |date=September 11, 2009 |title=If Hitler's still alive, I hope he's out of town with a musical (Larry Gelbart) |url=http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/if_hitlers_still_alive_i_hope_hes_out_of_town_with_a_musical_larry_gelbart |access-date=March 8, 2016 |website=The Big Apple}} and the Book for ''In The Beginning'', a musical satire on the Bible with music and lyrics by [[Maury Yeston]].

According to Martin Gottfried, when producer [[Robert Whitehead (theatre producer)|Robert Whitehead]] tried to divert Gelbart by musing about how the ongoing war crimes trial of [[Adolf Eichmann]] might turn out, Gelbart shot back, "They ought to send him out of town with a musical." {{cite book |last=Gottfried |first=Martin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5Vr0l7Ux2OAC&q=eichmann+%22out+of+town%22+musical&pg=PA128 |title=All His Jazz: The Life and Death of Bob Fosse |date=2003 |publisher=Da Capo |isbn=978-0-306-81284-2 |edition=2nd |location=New York |page=128}}</ref>