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| re: Plaza suite reviews? | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 01:24 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 01:23 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
| In reply to: Plaza suite reviews? - dramedy 01:05 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
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| I read reports from audience members at the other board, and most were mildly entertained to pans. The last act seems to be faring the best, which makes sense to me. The first, the most challenging for these particular actors (a "dramedy" before we had the word), is apparently not landing. But I couldn't really find a consensus. Mainly, the script -- especially act 2 -- was considered by several to be as dated as anticipated. I think the third piece, farce, leaves people with a high, and it goes a long way toward erasing the creepy stuff in the pre-#MeToo middle sketch. | |
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| re: Plaza suite reviews? | |
| Posted by: BestFriend 11:00 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Plaza suite reviews? - Delvino 01:23 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
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| Interesting report on the other board. (Personally I find this one so much better.) I actually saw it, and thought SJP made brilliant choices that placed the material in an updated frame. She stood Act II’s original power dynamic on its head. I know some folks advocate bowlderization to cope with dated virtue signals. But I believe students can read Huckelberry Finn just fine with appropriate contextualization, and think that sort of framing is infinitely preferable. I sense that’s SJP’s whole point here. Breaking the original to be PC would miss it entirely. |
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| re: Plaza suite reviews? | |
| Last Edit: PlayWiz 01:36 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 01:31 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Plaza suite reviews? - Delvino 01:23 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
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| I'm kind of surprised that Elaine Joyce Simon (or whoever handles the Neil Simon properties now) didn't suggest the possibility of using an act or two from "California Suite" or "London Suite" (and there may be another "Suite" he wrote, too) instead of the first two acts of "Plaza Suite". The third act has pretty much always been a crowd-pleaser. But I think perhaps the one with the husband who's surprised by the hooker he didn't order who's passed out, and perhaps the Maggie Smith-Michael Caine pre- and post-Oscar ceremony one (ok, it takes place in L.A.) would make for a more entertaining evening, and more in the realm of what these two actors would be better at than the pre-existing first two acts of "Plaza Suite", which can be tough to pull off, and just aren't particularly funny. | |
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| The first two acts. | |
| Posted by: BigM 06:29 pm EST 02/16/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Plaza suite reviews? - PlayWiz 01:31 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
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| I'm very fond of the entire play Plaza Suite. Yes, Act 2 has always been the weak link, but it can work when played by skilled comedians. But I would never want to cut the first act, which to me is funny and poignant and one of the best things Neil Simon ever wrote. | |
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| : Plaza suite reviews? | |
| Posted by: Al10chim 09:55 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Plaza suite reviews? - PlayWiz 01:31 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
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| All 3 acts were hysterical with the original cast on Broadway. | |
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| re: : Plaza suite reviews? | |
| Posted by: lanky 08:35 am EST 02/15/20 | |
| In reply to: : Plaza suite reviews? - Al10chim 09:55 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
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| Saw the original. George C. Scott and Maureen Stapleton were superb. Mary Martin and husband Richard, in the audience at the matinee I saw, seemed to agree. | |
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| The pre- and post-Oscar playlet is quite good. | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 04:04 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 04:03 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Plaza suite reviews? - PlayWiz 01:31 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
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| In tone and wit, it always reminded me of the best parts of "The Gingerbread Lady," and the sequence in the film version is probably one of the best acted pieces of Simon available for viewing (well, Caine and Smith, I'm stating the obvious). I can see these two pulling that off. In anything, having a California sequence would mix up the evening. SJP could tackle the Smith role -- an actor famous for a glamorous part playing an actor -- and not be stuck playing the early Simon hausfrau all night. Really, that's a significant problem with the thee initial NYC plays: the female characters are all harried wife-mothers with narrow concerns of another era long finished off by sitcoms. If she played the star Diana, the gendered world would be varied. |
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| The Gingerbread Lady re: The pre- and post-Oscar playlet is quite good. | |
| Posted by: PlazaBoy 12:34 pm EST 02/15/20 | |
| In reply to: The pre- and post-Oscar playlet is quite good. - Delvino 04:03 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
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| I rarely hear the Gingerbread Lady mentioned! I saw it as a teenager in Chicago with Shelly Winters. It was wonderful and lives on in my memory. | |
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| I saw "Gingerbread Lady" in London with Elaine Stritch. | |
| Posted by: Delvino 08:58 pm EST 02/16/20 | |
| In reply to: The Gingerbread Lady re: The pre- and post-Oscar playlet is quite good. - PlazaBoy 12:34 pm EST 02/15/20 | |
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| When I was in my 20s. My first time to see Stritch on stage (had seen Jane Russell's Joanne). She was absolutely perfect for the role, and it was an electric performance, so grounded and real. And probably a preview of her Claire in "Delicate Balance," if I think about it. | |
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| re: The Gingerbread Lady re: The pre- and post-Oscar playlet is quite good. | |
| Posted by: Pokernight 01:38 pm EST 02/15/20 | |
| In reply to: The Gingerbread Lady re: The pre- and post-Oscar playlet is quite good. - PlazaBoy 12:34 pm EST 02/15/20 | |
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| I've always thought THE GINGERBREAD LADY would make a terrific musical for three strong female performers, and wonder why it's never been attempted. I also like its screen adaptation ONLY WHEN I LAUGH. | |
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| re: The Gingerbread Lady re: The pre- and post-Oscar playlet is quite good. | |
| Posted by: PlazaBoy 02:53 pm EST 02/15/20 | |
| In reply to: re: The Gingerbread Lady re: The pre- and post-Oscar playlet is quite good. - Pokernight 01:38 pm EST 02/15/20 | |
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| Yes, I enjoy the movie too. | |
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| You should have been “in the room” when this was being sketched out | |
| Posted by: dramedy 02:49 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Plaza suite reviews? - PlayWiz 01:31 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
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| That sounds much better idea. | |
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| re: Plaza suite reviews? | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 01:53 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Plaza suite reviews? - PlayWiz 01:31 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
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| Back in the 90's, the Roundabout produced a "mix and match" evening of playlets made of pieces of PLAZA SUITE, CALIFORNIA SUITE, and LONDON SUITE under the title HOTEL SUITE. Other than the one with the bride who's locked herself in the bathroom on her wedding day, I cannot remember which acts were included there. I assume that HOTEL SUITE is available for production. I agree that it's sort of odd that whomever is in charge of such things wouldn't create another such hybrid that would better suit the stars. If I were in charge generally, not specific to this production, I would allow the acts of all three of these plays to be performed either completely separately or allow rights seekers their choice of acts from all three plays to produce under the generic title HOTEL SUITE. I believe that David Ives and Christopher Durang both have licensed evenings of short plays in which rights seekers may choose which plays to present from an available list. |
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| re: Plaza suite reviews? | |
| Posted by: Kjisgroovy 04:22 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Plaza suite reviews? - JereNYC 01:53 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
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| "The scenes are, in order of appearance, Visitors from London, about an Oscar-nominated English actress and her husband, and Visitor from Philadelphia, about a couple from Philadelphia, one of whom wakes up with a stranger (both of these scenes are from Simon's California Suite); Diana and Sydney which is a second look on the English couple from the first scene (from London Suite); and Visitor from Mamaroneck, about a bride with pre-wedding jitters (from Simon's Plaza Suite)." It was also produced at The Walnut Street Theatre... and here and there in the 90s. |
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| re: Plaza suite reviews? | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 05:13 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Plaza suite reviews? - Kjisgroovy 04:22 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
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| Well, those are probably the funniest pieces in all of those "Suite" plays. I could see these actors pulling those off much better. Maybe someone involved with the new production also didn't want to spring for paying for different sets for at least one different act set on the other coast? I like the idea of separating the pre-and post-Oscar scenes with Sydney and Diana, too. | |
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| re: Plaza suite reviews? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 02:41 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Plaza suite reviews? - JereNYC 01:53 pm EST 02/14/20 | |
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| "I agree that it's sort of odd that whomever is in charge of such things wouldn't create another such hybrid that would better suit the stars. If I were in charge generally, not specific to this production, I would allow the acts of all three of these plays to be performed either completely separately or allow rights seekers their choice of acts from all three plays to produce under the generic title HOTEL SUITE. " It's a very interesting suggestion. I wonder if Simon was ever approached during his lifetime,to license the plays in such a way (other than the Roundabout production). I'm thinking perhaps he would not have wanted to give people the ability to perform ANY three (or perhaps even just two) of the plays together because it might have been felt that certain combinations would not have been ideal in terms of tone, length of the evening, whatever. But they could still have licensed other combinations on a case by case basis. I don't know if anything like that might be possible now that Simon is deceased and Elaine Joyce is presumably the person who makes such decisions. |
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