ENTERTAINMENT

‘Plaza Suite,’ Neil Simon comedy, opens at Dover

BILL NUTT
CORRESPONDENT

Neil R. Fitzpatrick has his hands full.

The Randolph resident is directing a bittersweet tale of a woman trying to rekindle her marriage, a sex comedy about a producer out to seduce an old flame, and a slapstick farce about a bride who locks herself in the bathroom on her wedding day.

The catch? All three stories are part of the same play.

Fitzpatrick is directing “Plaza Suite,” Neil Simon’s 1968 anthology comedy. The play opens at Dover Little Theatre today, Nov. 7.

The play’s three acts all take place in one room: Suite 719 at Manhattan’s Plaza Hotel. Fitzpatrick says that, on the one hand, he appreciates the need for only one set.

“There’s no major set change. For the most part, the only props are hand props,” he says. “That does make the logistics easy.”

However, the script itself goes through a spectrum of moods and emotions. “There are times when having the same physical location is difficult,” Fitzpatrick says. “I almost wish the layout could be different for the different scenes.”

Each act in “Plaza Suite” focuses on a different male-female couple. (In the original Broadway production, the couples were played by the same two actors. In the 1971 movie version, only one actor – Walter Matthau – appeared in all three stories.)

“Visitor from Mamaroneck,” the first and longest act, is about a married couple, Sam (Bill Dietrich of Randolph) and Karen (Cindi Halkola of Belvidere), who are staying in the hotel as their home is being renovated.

Karen hopes the stay in the suite where she and Sam spent their honeymoon will rekindle the romance. But the story takes a turn when it is revealed that he has a secret.

“The challenge with (directing) this act is not to go too dark,” says Fitzpatrick. “This could be really depressing. The trick is to find the humor in it.” He credits Halkola and Dietrich with maintaining that balance

“Visitor from Hollywood” focuses on Jesse, a successful movie producer, who attempts to seduce his high-school girlfriend, Muriel, who is now a suburban housewife.

Fitzpatrick says this potentially sleazy scenario is made palatable by the chemistry between Matt Meier of Long Valley as Jesse and Alison Devereaux Smith of Hackettstown as Muriel. “They’re hysterical,” he says.

The third act, “Visitor from Forest Hills,” spotlights Roy and Norma Hubley. Their daughter, Mimsey, has barricaded herself in the bathroom on her wedding day, and they are frantically trying to coax her out.

“I like this act in part because Roy and Norma are older,” Fitzpatrick says. “Tim (Murphy of Denville) and Cindy (Rea of West Milford) bring life experience and humor to the characters.”

Rounding out the cast in various small roles are Kate Blazo of Randolph and Jake Zillioux of Kinnelon.

In the Neil Simon oeuvre, “Plaza Suite” is not as highly regarded as his other hits from the 1960s, such as “The Odd Couple.” Fitzpatrick feels that this lack of love in undeserved, and he hopes the Dover production will win over audiences.

“When you see this play on its feet, you realize how funny it is,” he says. “I would put this on a par with ‘Barefoot in the Park’ in terms of the humor and zaniness.”

“Neil Simon is so appealing because a lot of the things he finds funny are everyday events,” Fitzpatrick says. “These are characters the audience can relate to.”

That believability makes “Plaza Suite” so enjoyable, Fitzpatrick concludes. “I’m enjoying the fact that I can sit in the audience and watch these actors. I’ve found myself wiping my eyes from laughing so hard.”

PLAZA SUITE

WHAT: This 1968 Neil Simon play finds different types of humor - from bittersweet to farcical - in three situations that take place in the same room at the posh Plaza Hotel.

WHEN: Nov. 2 through 22. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays.

WHERE: Dover Little Theatre, 69 Elliott St., Dover.

TICKETS: $17. Discount for groups of 10 or more. Wine and cheese reception on opening night.

INFORMATION: 973-328-9202 or www.doverlittletheatre.org.