Plaza Suite
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''Plaza Suite'' is a comedy play by Neil Simon.


Plot

The play is composed of three acts, each involving different characters but all set in Suite 719 of New York City's
Plaza Hotel The Plaza Hotel (also known as The Plaza) is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, a ...
. The first act, ''Visitor From
Mamaroneck Mamaroneck ( ) is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of M ...
'', introduces the audience to not-so-blissfully wedded couple Sam and Karen Nash, who are revisiting their honeymoon suite in an attempt by Karen to bring the love back into their marriage. Her plan backfires and the two become embroiled in a heated argument about whether or not Sam is having an affair with his secretary. The act ends with Sam leaving (allegedly to attend to urgent business) and Karen sadly reflecting on how much things have changed since they were young. The second act, ''Visitor from
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
'', involves a meeting between movie producer Jesse Kiplinger and his old flame, suburban housewife Muriel Tate. Muriel—aware of his reputation as a smooth-talking ladies' man—has come for nothing more than a chat between old friends, promising herself she will not stay too long. Jesse, however, has other plans in mind and repeatedly attempts to seduce her. The third act, ''Visitor from Forest Hills'', revolves around married couple Roy and Norma Hubley on their daughter Mimsey's wedding day. In a rush of nervousness, Mimsey has locked herself in the suite's bathroom and refuses to leave. Her parents make frantic attempts to cajole her into attending her wedding while the gathered guests await the trio's arrival downstairs. It appears that they will finally get married, as the act ends.


Background

The play originally had four acts, one of which was cut during pre-production. Simon later expanded it for the 1970 feature film '' The Out-of-Towners''.''Plaza Suite'' at Turner Classic Movies
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Productions

Before its Broadway run, ''Plaza Suite'' premiered in 1968 at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven and the Colonial Theatre in Boston. ''Plaza Suite'' opened on Broadway at the
Plymouth Theatre Plymouth Theatre or Plymouth Theater may refer to: * Plymouth Theatre (Boston) * Plymouth Theatre (Worcester) * Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, New York City, formerly the Plymouth Theatre * H Street Playhouse The H Street Playhouse was a black box ...
on February 14, 1968 and closed on October 3, 1970 after 1097 performances and two previews. Directed by Mike Nichols, the cast featured George C. Scott and Maureen Stapleton who appeared in each of the three acts with Bob Balaban in two acts.Barnes, Clive. "Theater: 'Plaza Suite,' Neil Simon's Laugh Machine: 3 Farces at Plymouth Directed by Nichols Maureen Stapleton and George C. Scott Star", ''The New York Times'', 15 Feb 1968, p.49 Clive Barnes in his review for '' The New York Times'' wrote that "after a slow start with the first, warms up with the second and ends with an all-stops-out, grandstand finish with the third." Later in the run, they were replaced by Dan Dailey,
E. G. Marshall E. G. Marshall (born Everett Eugene Grunz;Everett Eugene Grunz in Minnesota, U.S., Birth Index, 1900-1934, Ancestry.comEverett Eugene Grunz in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, accessed via Ancestry.com June 18, ...
, Don Porter,
Nicol Williamson Thomas Nicol Williamson (14 September 1936 – 16 December 2011) was a Scottish actor, once described by playwright John Osborne as "the greatest actor since Marlon Brando". He was also described by Samuel Beckett as "touched by genius" and view ...
, Barbara Baxley, and
Peggy Cass Mary Margaret "Peggy" Cass (May 21, 1924 – March 8, 1999) was an American actress, comedian, game show panelist, and announcer. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting ...
. The play was profiled in the William Goldman book '' The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway''.
Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...
, who three years earlier had written ''
Suite in Three Keys ''Suite in Three Keys'' is a trilogy of plays by Noël Coward. It comprises two short plays – '' Shadows of the Evening'' and '' Come Into the Garden, Maud'' – designed to be given as a double bill, and a stand-alone full-length play, ''A So ...
'', later said of ''Plaza Suite'', "Such a good idea having different plays all played in a hotel suite! I wonder where Neil Simon got it from?" Mike Nichols won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play. Neil Simon was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play but lost to
Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...
for '' Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead''. Maureen Stapleton was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play but lost to Zoe Caldwell in '' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie''. A West Coast production, with engagements in San Francisco and Los Angeles, opened on September 16, 1968. It starred Dan Dailey and Lee Grant. The production closed March 1, 1969. The play's first national tour, starring Forrest Tucker and Betty Garrett and
Dana Ivey Dana Robins Ivey (born August 12, 1941) is an American actress. She is a five-time Tony Award nominee for her work on Broadway, and won the 1997 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play for her work in both ''Sex and Longing' ...
in the supporting female roles, opened on October 7, 1968. Replacement actors included Howard Keel and Larry Parks. Among the tour's stops was Chicago for a nearly eight-month engagement. It concluded on February 14, 1970 in Philadelphia. Garrett and Parks, married in real life, starred in a bus and truck tour that lasted from October 16, 1970 through April 25, 1971. A Broadway revival was initially set to play at the Hudson Theatre, beginning with previews on March 13, 2020 and officially on April 13, following a pre-Broadway run at the Colonial Theatre in Boston in February 2020. However, due to the closure of Broadway houses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Broadway run was postponed. In June 2021, it was reported that the production would begin preview performances on February 25, 2022 and officially open on March 28. The production stars Matthew Broderick and
Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...
and is directed by John Benjamin Hickey. In April 2022, the production temporarily paused performances after both Broderick and Parker tested positive for COVID-19. The revival was initially set to close on June 28, 2022, but its run was later extended to July 10 of that year to compensate for cancelled performances.


Film adaptations

Simon adapted his play for a 1971 film starring
Walter Matthau Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), ''King Creole'' (1958) and as a coach of a ...
, Stapleton, Barbara Harris, and Lee Grant, but he was unhappy with the outcome. He felt the conceit of one actor playing the lead role in all three acts worked on stage but not on screen, especially if the actor was Matthau, who he felt was the right choice only for the beleaguered father-of-the-bride, Roy Hubley. On December 31, 1982, HBO broadcast a production (shot in front of a live audience) starring Lee Grant and Jerry Orbach playing all three roles. In 1987, Carol Burnett starred in a television movie in which she portrayed all three female roles. Starring opposite her were
Hal Holbrook Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor, television director, and screenwriter. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called ''Mark Twain Tonight!'' ...
as Sam Nash, Dabney Coleman as Jesse Kiplinger, and
Richard Crenna Richard Donald Crenna (November 30, 1926 – January 17, 2003) was an American film, television and radio actor. Crenna starred in such motion pictures as ''The Sand Pebbles'', ''Wait Until Dark'', ''Un Flic'', ''Body Heat'', the first three ' ...
as Roy Hubley. Burnett was also the executive producer with direction by Roger Beatty and Kenny Solms.


References


Sources

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External links

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archive
{{Neil Simon 1968 plays Broadway plays American plays adapted into films Plays by Neil Simon Plays set in New York City Works set in hotels