Jad?

Yeah.

Let me play you this.

Buddy.

Yes, Mom.

You're listening to Mike Nichols.

I've been thinking.

And Elaine May.

You're getting older now.

You're nearly a man.

And you should start thinking about your future a little bit, you know.

You're listening to a rehearsal that happened to get caught on tape.

You're a happy boy. What are they laughing about? The God's sake. What are they laughing about? Here's the thing. He has a joke in his head. I know what I'd like to do with my life. But he just can't get the punchline out without ruining it with a laugh. Wait, what was the job? I didn't even hear the joke. Well, you haven't heard of yet. He wants to be when he grows up. You're a registered nurse. A registered nurse. The joke is, I want to be a nurse? I want to be a nurse. That's the joke. But he can't say the word nurse without losing it.

Nor can she say the word nurse without losing it.

And that is their punchline.

And why is that funny?

Well, remember, it's 1959 and boys don't want to be registered nurses.

Not in 1959.

That's for Mike Nichols the funniest thing he's thought of all week.

Not funny.

But he can't.

But, Mother, I want very much to be a registered nurse.

...