Plaza Suite

(Posted 4/2/22) By Fern Siegel

Neil Simon’s 1968 comedy Plaza Suite is getting a sassy revival at the Hudson Theater. The show, basically a two-header, owes its current existence to Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, who play different characters in the three-act work.

Simon, who excels at mining all aspects of familial humor and dysfunction, posits three couples in the same elegant Plaza Hotel suite. The playwright was known for his one-liners, which provide the quick laugh. While his comedy grew deeper and darker as the years went by — think Brighton Beach Memoirs and Lost in Yonkers — he maintains a lighter tone here.

And because the leads are married, it adds resonance.

The first act, “Visitor from Mamaroneck,” concerns a couple that has been married 25 years. The wife wants to spend the night in the same suite as their honeymoon, reminiscing about the past. Her husband is less enthused. He’s distracted by work — and she suspects — his secretary. The familiarity in a long-term marriage, coupled by the fear and humiliation of rejection, co-exist in this vignette.

It’s the saddest act of the three act, laced with humor and irony, even as it gives Parker’s character a chance to make some zippy remarks about a changing New York.

Act II and III are stronger, allowing both leads to demonstrate their comedy chops. “A Visitor from Hollywood” has Broderick playing a super-successful producer who hopes for a dalliance with his high-school girlfriend, a naive New Jersey housewife who longs for validation, while suspecting all the men in her life are wanting.

The third, “Visitor from Forest Hills,” is the funniest and resplendent with physical comedy. Simon’s sense of absurdity and parental exasperation — their daughter has locked herself in the hotel bathroom on her wedding day — is priceless. Mimsey (Molly Ranson) refuses to come out, silent to all parent entreaties. And as the ceremony draws nearer, Simon ratchets up the tension.

For Simon lovers, Plaza Suite is a chance to revisit his early triumphs. And for those new to the playwright, it’s an opportunity to see situational comedy viewed through a Sixties prism.

Parker, who has a cult following, thanks to Sex and the City, proves her comedy versatility, while Broderick, whose nasal tones can sometimes be grating, demonstrates his own command of physical humor. Together, they are comedy gold.