Now showing at The Genesian Theatre is Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite. Three short plays, each involving a marital scenario, set in the famous Plaza Hotel New York. The first play, Visitor From Mamaroneck, centres on the 25th wedding anniversary of Mrs Karen Nash and her husband Sam. Mrs Nash has booked room 719 at the Plaza and anxiously awaits the arrival of her husband. The hotel room has been chosen especially because it is the same room in which the couple spent their honeymoon. Mr Nash is a New York money man addicted to his work, and his wife’s enthusiasm for a trip down memory lane is soon dashed, by her husband’s unwillingness to separate himself from the days business affairs at the office. Quite literally, as it turns out. Mamaroneck is a well to do New York Village full of well to do New Yorkers in which, no doubt, there are many couples just like Mr and Mrs Nash. Elisabeth MacGregor and Barry Neilson are well cast as the couple and their performances realistic and moving as the well connected though disconnected couple.
The second play, A Visitor From Hollywood, brings together two old friends who once had a relationship but married other people. They have arranged to meet in room 719 at the Plaza for a reunion of sorts. Jesse Kiplinger, played by Joseph Restubog has become a much sought after Hollywood producer, whilst his past paramour, Muriel Tate, played by Laura Wallace, has become a happy housewife and has thee children. Apparently he has been married three times and all his marriages have failed. Will they or will they not make the most of the reunion and make out together? Nicely played but a little slow to build. The pace needed to pick up and the characters needed to play off each other with more intensity.
The last in this trilogy, A visitor From Forest Hills, deals with a couple very different from Mr and Mrs Nash in the first play. They are from Forest Hills in Queens, a New York Zip code with quite a reputation. The Middle aged couple in this play represent the middle class. Not too classy, not too educated but way too loud. Andrea Blight as Norma Hubley is hilarious as the feisty, over the top mother of the bride and Peter Gizariotis is the perfect foil as the frustrated father. Both almost coming to blows as they spend the duration of the play trying to cajole their daughter out of the bathroom of room 719, so they can all, go through with the wedding.
All three plays could have been better presented with a little more research into the origins of the characters. Neil Simon’s caustic wit was often lost due to the pace of the dialogue. There needed to be more supplementary actions and props could have been better utilised. The mirror on the wall had no mirror in it which was a shame as all the characters looked into it at one time or another. Where were the neon lights outside the hotel windows and the steady hum of NewYork traffic? Despite these small oversights this was generally a very good production with a great effort from the three directors, John Grindston, Tui Clark and Ali Bendall. Well designed set too from Tom Fahy. Last but not least, Romy Silver and Andrew Badger, added a lovely touch of nostalgia to an, overall, stylish package.
By Renee Lou Dallow
Bourgeoise Bloomers Reviews And Banter
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