Neil Simon

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/19/08 at 6:00pm

Will we ever see another original play from Neil Simon?

[cello_dude]

Posted: 5/19/08 at 8:40pm

I think maybe one or two more

[matty159]

Posted: 5/19/08 at 8:43pm

I was wondering how people would respond to this question. It has been a while since he has had a new piece. Is he being intentionally quiet with something up his sleeve, or is he done?

[nitsua]

Posted: 5/19/08 at 8:50pm

He just turned 80.
I think I'd quit then, too.

Posted: 5/19/08 at 9:44pm

I think Simon is one of those writers who just can't NOT write. I'm sure we'll see some more.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 5/19/08 at 10:18pm

He's had some real misfires in the past few years and that last play of his that Mary Tyler Moore walked out of during previews got downright ugly.

I wouldn't be surprised if he spent his remaining years touching up his old plays when they get revived.

[A Director]

Posted: 5/19/08 at 10:48pm

I hope not. Comic tastes have changed and Simon's comic style is no longer in fashion. This is not his fault. This also happened to comic playwrights who were popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Time has not been kind to Simon's plays. Will they come back in fashion is hard to say. I use to like his plays, but no longer.

[bk]

Posted: 5/19/08 at 11:28pm

I gotta tell you. Comic tastes have changed - and unfortunately not for the better. Simon's plays will always be funny because he's a craftsman, he knows a good joke and how to set it up and deliver it, and he's good with structure. Like all playwrights, he's had misses, but the hits are cherce and always will be.

Comic tastes have changed - it is to laugh. How then, A Director, would you explain Boeing Boeing, a dated flop from the mid-60s? Apparently, a dated flop comedy from the 60s is about 1000 times better than the "comedy" they're writing today. Give me Simon and his like any day of the week.

Comic tastes have changed - I have to go vomit on the ground now.
Updated On: 5/20/08 at 11:28 PM

[thatgirl712]

Posted: 5/20/08 at 3:52am

I think Neil Simon's plays are still very enjoyable and funny.

[mc1227]

Posted: 5/20/08 at 7:36am

bk, you are so on target with your response. The "comedy" produced today is awful. I can now understand why profanity is used instead of actual words. They can't think of anything else to write. The creativity of writing has become an endangered species in the entertainment world.
I would watch a Neil Simon play/movie over most of the stuff that's on Broadway or movie theatres today.

[nmartin]

Posted: 5/20/08 at 8:10am

I can be very dismissive about Simon until I remember the "I once danced with George Raft" scene in Broadway Bound. Lavin, Silverman and the writing were superb.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/20/08 at 10:06am

I'm on the fence about Neil Simon. Many of his plays seem to be written in the pattern of set-up, joke, set-up, joke, set-up, joke. He never really seemed to get away from his early training in sketch comedy. My preference is for the comedy to come out of the situation rather than forcing it with a joke.

On the other hand, his characters and situations are superb. If you've ever had a roommate, you can really appreciate The Odd Couple. When growing up if you had to live in a small house, you can appreciate Brighton Beach Memoirs. Barefoot in the Park wonderfully illustrates the first year of marriage. Simon is one of America's greatest playwrights because he captures the ordinary and makes it funny.

Updated On: 5/20/08 at 10:06 AM

Posted: 5/20/08 at 10:19am

It's weird that tastes have changed- especially since Simon is still one of the most performed writers in the the English language- and, whether performed by high school kids, non-equity professionals or Broadway revival casts, usually delivers huge laughs.