Plaza Suite


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Neil Simon's classic comedy is actually three one-act plays that take place in Suite 719 in the Plaza Hotel, New York City. The acts are tied together with the common threads of relationships.

Act 1 is funny yet tragic. We meet Karen and Sam, a middle-age married couple who fight about everything. Wife Karen believes that suite 719 is where they honeymooned; husband Sam says it was one floor up. They even disagree on the date of their anniversary and the length of their marriage.

However, as the act unfolds, it becomes obvious that the disagreements are symptoms of much deeper problems in their relationship. The marriage unravels, and the comedy becomes touchingly poignant.

Act 2 is a comedy about seduction. We meet a pompous Hollywood producer, who is attempting to seduce his old high school girlfriend. However, she is now married with three children. Of this act, one reviewer writes, "Simon skillfully built comic tension from the sharp contrast between the characters' declarations of pure intentions and their impure behavior. The defenses against temptation, we see from these two, are walls of sand."

Act 3 is all about family conflict. It's a daughter's wedding day, but she has locked herself (gown and all) in the bathroom of the suite, refusing to come out for the ceremony. Her formally dressed mother and father attempt to deal with the situation, and as they argue it becomes clear -- the daughter has barricaded herself because she fears becoming just like her parents.

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Synopsis from:  http://www.lakelandplayers.org/Plaza.htm
 
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