California Suite

California Suite, by Neil Simon, is one of a series of plays with a similar theme.  Set in a hotel suite, this time in Los Angeles, it involves four separate couples and what happens to them during their stay.  

The set was semi split between the bedroom and living room with a bathroom off.  The wallpaper was suitably loud, it was set in the seventies and the rooms were simply furnished.  I would have liked to have seen the odd picture.  Hotels always seem to have a strange assortment of art on their walls, but perhaps they didn't in California.  The danger with a semi-split set is that the odd arm or tennis racquet can suddenly "pass through the wall" but that in a strange way somehow adds to the joy of watching live theatre.  The telephones were gorgeous and enhanced the feeling of decadence.  There were many sound effects, telephones mainly and running water apparently in the bathroom.  These were on cue but the speaker that emitted the sound was somewhere on stage right.   I'm not sure how you can overcome this in a town hall but if it was possible it would add to the feeling of reality.  It was good to see the two rooms lit separately and the actor switching off the light timed perfectly. There were a number of prompts, all dealt with very smoothly even though the prompt was at auditorium level and the stage is especially high.

The first scene involves a divorced couple meeting to discuss the living arrangements for their teenage daughter.  The mother who had flown in from New York is a very stressed workaholic and the father, who lives in Los Angeles, has adopted the Californian style and is very relaxed.   The actor playing the mother maintained a suitable level of tension for the character and was smoking constantly, at least frequently lighting yet another cigarette,  this was just a tad irritating.   It is probably the most static of the four playlets and therefore relies heavily on dialogue to keep the audience' attention.  One problem with maintaining an American accent is that expressive speech can suffer a little but diction was clear and there was no problem with hearing the dialogue.  The husband was a lovely contrast to this, keeping cool, calm and relaxed.   The characterisation was good with the difficult relationship between the two demonstrated well.

In the next scene the guy in the bed awakes to find there is an almost comatose hooker in bed beside him and he is expecting his wife, who is flying in from Philadelphia, to arrive at any moment.  He has little memory of what has transpired the night before!   Very funny attempts are made to remove the hooker from his bed or at least hide her, to no avail.   This was dealt with in a most believable way and we all began to feel sympathy for the errant husband. The wife arrives and the fun and games continue.  Lovely situation comedy from the wonderful Neil Simon.  The relationship between the couple was beautifully played.   The journey of changing emotions as he told elaborate stories to save himself and she struggled to forgive him was quite moving in its portrayal.

Next, the bisexual husband and the aging actress hoping for an Oscar to help her faltering career. They are deeply fond of each other but after an evening of disappointment, and the actress partaking of too much alcohol cracks begin to show and arguments develop.  Insults are thrown and tears are shed.  Excellent interpretation of a drunk showing the abandoned behaviour and at times careful speech.  Just enough and not too much.    The humour and suave charm of the husband was played in a delightfully relaxed way.   They were both beautifully dressed.  The actress wore an evening dress of pale green and a most fabulous slip, with an extravagant depth of lace.

The humour of the last scene is more akin to slapstick.  The wife has been injured on the tennis court.  The husband feels this is the result of a deliberate act by the friends they are holidaying with.  Insults fly and hurtful things are said.  One thing leads to another.  In the attempt to find her some pain relief a bottle of expensive perfume is broken, hands are cut, glass is trodden on, a concussion is sustained from banging a head on the bathroom cabinet and all four are in some way or another injured.  The dialogue as the friendships fell even further apart was most convincingly delivered but actions in this playlet speak even louder than words.  So much preparation must have been done to deliver this scene so realistically.  The brawling became so involved that we feared they might, in reality, be injured.   The timing for this was excellent and the sequence of events was believable.  A superb way to end the evening.

This was an impressive production with very good performances from all actors.  The Neil Simon script, in my opinion,  is first rate but it needs great care from all to do it justice and you most certainly achieved that.  Congratulations for bringing California Suite to life and giving your audience a very entertaining evening.

 

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.