Scott Ellis's Roundabout Theatre Company version of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" and James Lapine's "Annie, " with Anthony Warlow as Daddy Warbucks, both opened on Broadway to happy effect.

WSJ: Teachout's Best of 2012 Includes Salesman, A Little Night Music

Yet it's rarely seen nowadays, and the Roundabout Theatre Company's 2008 Broadway revival was a monstrosity in which Richard Greenberg rewrote Mr. O'Hara's no-nonsense book to coy and campy effect.

WSJ: 'Woman in Mind': Funny as a Straitjacket | Eclipse Theatre Company | Pal Joey | Porchlight Music Theatre | Reviews by Terry Teachout

But this theater season also includes an example of a more traditional farce: Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Marc Camoletti's 1962 "Don't Dress for Dinner, " which opens April 26 at the American Airlines Theatre.

WSJ: One Spring, Two Farces