aboutcaliforniasuite

About California Suite

by D. Larry Steckling

Hotel suites have played a large part in Neil Simon's life, since his business has taken him into many of them while traveling and premiering plays in various cities. They have had a lasting effect on him and have prompted him to write three works for the theatre - Plaza Suite, California Suite and London Suite. Plaza Suite is the best known of the three and was noteworthy in 1968 for being his first compilation of one-act plays sharing a common setting (The Plaza Hotel in New York City), and containing his first piece with an unhappy ending and a serious theme.

California Suite came eight years later and contains four one-act playlets, each giving us a glimpse of various groups of guests in the same suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel at different times of the same year. The first three stories concern three widely divergent couples with vastly different dilemmas. The first one is a heartfelt, insightful, yet scathingly funny portrait of a divorced couple trying to do the best thing for their teenage daughter. The second one is a

--Cast and Crew--

VISITORS FROM NEW YORK

Hannah Warren

Sheila Peace Rambacher

William Warren

Timothy Hunter

VISITORS FROM PHILADELPHIA

Marvin Michaels

Nathan Malick

Bunny

Kelly Campbell

Millie Michaels

Cathy Lyter

VISITORS FROM LONDON

Sidney Nichols

Paul Nelson

Diana Nichols

Joy Barnard

VISITORS FROM CHICAGO

Mort Hollender

Brad Thomas

Beth Hollender

Sue Hannon

Stu Franklyn

James Spitalere

Gert Franklyn

Blair Knowles

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director

Ken Roberts

Producer

Charlotte Roberts

Tech Director

Mike Rambacher

Crew Caddy Greenidge, Robert Clemons,

Kathy Malick

free-wheeling farce about a man who wakes up with an unconscious hooker in his bed and his wife on the way up to the room in the elevator, while the third concentrates on a wonderfully eccentric British couple who have had a special relationship for many years.

The fourth playlet is a madcap moment of physical comedy that focuses on two affluent young couples who are best friends - until they go on an extended vacation together - and end up having constant squabbles. This last scene is based on Simon's real life experience when he and his first wife went on a much anticipated vacation with their two best friends and chaos ensued.

Simon's work always brings that unmistakable taste of real life to the stage that makes us believe and allows us to relate. He also gives us enough stylization in character and situation to let us laugh at ourselves and others without any guilt. Guilt-less Neil Simon? Is that possible? We certainly hope you walk out of the theatre with happy, warm feelings about what you have seen, for we have heartily enjoyed preparing a heartwarming, emotion and laugh-filled evening or afternoon of theatre - just for you.

http://www.coronadoplayhouse.com/CA_Suite/about.html