''London Suite'' is a play by

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

, consisting of four one-act plays. ''London Suite'' also was a 1996 television movie. It is in a similar style to Simon's earlier works ''

Plaza Suite ''Plaza Suite'' is a comedy play by Neil Simon. Plot The play is composed of three acts, each involving different characters but all set in Suite 719 of New York City's Plaza Hotel. The first act, ''Visitor From Mamaroneck'', introduces the au ...

'' and ''

California Suite ''California Suite'' is a 1976 play by Neil Simon. Similar in structure to his earlier ''Plaza Suite'', the comedy is composed of four playlets set in Suite 203-04, which consists of a living room and an adjoining bedroom with an ensuite bath, in ...

''.

Productions

''London Suite'' premiered at the

Seattle Repertory Theatre Seattle Repertory Theatre (familiarly known as "The Rep") is a major regional theatre located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. It is a member of Theatre Puget SoundDaniel Sullivan, the cast featured

Jeffrey Jones Jeffrey Duncan Jones (born September 28, 1946) is an American character actor, best known for his roles as Emperor Joseph II in '' Amadeus'' (1984), Edward R. Rooney in ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986), Charles Deetz in ''Beetlejuice'' (1988 ...

Carole Shelley Carole Augusta Shelley (16 August 1939 – 31 August 2018)Bartlett, Rhett"Carole Shelley, One of the Pigeon Sisters From 'The Odd Couple,' Dies at 79"''The Hollywood Reporter'', 1 September 2018

Amy Ryan Amy Beth Dziewiontkowski, known professionally as Amy Ryan, is an American actress of stage and screen. A graduate of New York's High School of Performing Arts, she is an Academy Award nominee and two-time Tony Award nominee. Ryan began her pr ...

Paxton Whitehead Francis Edward Paxton Whitehead (born 17 October 1937) is an English actor, theatre director and playwright. He was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Pellinore in the 1980 revival of ''Camelot''. He has h ...

, Barbara Dirickson, Sean G. Griffin and Rex McDowell. The plays are "Going Home", "Settling Accounts", "Diana and Sidney" (which involve two characters from ''California Suite''), and "The Man on the Floor". ''London Suite'' opened Off-Broadway at the Union Square Theatre on March 28, 1995 and closed on September 3, 1995 after 169 performances.''London Suite''
Internet Off-Broadway database, accessed April 12, 2012 Directed by Daniel Sullivan, the cast featured Carole Shelley (Mrs. Semple, Diana and Mrs. Sitgood), Paxton Whitehead (Billy, Sidney and Dr. McMerlin), Kate Burton (Lauren, Grace and Annie), Jeffrey Jones (Brian and Mark) and

Brooks Ashmanskas Brooks Ashmanskas (born June 14, 1969) is an American actor. He has appeared both on Broadway and Off-Broadway as well as in regional theatres. Ashmanskas has done limited film and television work, most recently appearing in the Netflix series ' ...

(Bellman). The production was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Awardas Outstanding Off-Broadway Play.

Plot

The action takes place in a London

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

overlooking Hyde Park in a series of four plays: *''Settling Accounts'' Brian Cronin and Billy Fox. Brian is a successful Welsh novelist; Billy is his manager, whom Brian has caught in the process of running off with all his money. In the film, this pair was changed to Debra and Paul Dolby, a newlywed couple from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

who are on their honeymoon. Paul has disappeared after the couple had an argument on the plane, and now Debra is caught in a chain of increasingly ridiculous lies when she runs into his relatives at the hotel who are holding a welcoming party for the two of them. * ''Going Home'' Sharon and Lauren Semple. A mother and daughter on a shopping trip. Lauren convinces her mother to go on a date with an elderly man they had just met, even though Sharon is heavily against it. While at dinner with the man, she is puzzled by his rather eccentric mannerisms. * ''Diana and Sidney'' Sidney and Diana Nichols. A divorced couple: she is an actress, and he is living with his male lover. Now he claims he needs money from her to help pay the medical bills for his partner who is dying from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

. The pair are based on characters from ''California Suite'', played in the 1978 film by

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

and Maggie Smith. * ''The Man on the Floor'' Mark and Anne Ferris. An American couple who are in London to see the Wimbledon Championships. Their plans are put on hold, however, when Anne loses the tickets, Mark's back gives out, leaving him immobile and in pain on the hotel floor, and they are asked to move because they have accidentally been given

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actor ...

's suite. With the exception of Sidney and Diana's storyline (and Brian and Billy's in the play), the plots are largely

comedic Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

Film

The film, a

Hallmark Entertainment Halcyon Studios, LLC., formerly known as Sonar Entertainment, RHI Entertainment, Hallmark Entertainment, Qintex Entertainment, HRI Group and Robert Halmi Inc., is an American entertainment company specializing in the production and distribution ...

production, was televised on September 15, 1996. The film was directed by

Jay Sandrich A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For example, the Eurasian m ...

with the screenplay by Simon,"Neil Simon's 'London Suite'"
''The New York Times'', accessed April 12, 2012 and starred: *

Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained notoriety and acclaim for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984-1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993-2004), ...

- Sidney Nichols *

Patricia Clarkson Patricia Davies Clarkson (born December 29, 1959) is an American actress. She has starred in numerous leading and supporting roles in a variety of films ranging from independent film features to major film studio productions. Her accolades in ...

- Diana Nichols *

Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus ( ; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and producer who worked on the comedy television series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1982–1985), ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), ''The New Adventures ...

- Debra Dolby *

Jonathan Silverman Jonathan Elihu Silverman (born August 5, 1966) is an American actor, known for his roles in the comedy films ''Brighton Beach Memoirs'', ''Weekend at Bernie's'', and its sequel ''Weekend at Bernie's II''. Early life and education Silverman was ...

- Paul Dolby *

Madeline Kahn Madeline Gail Kahn ('' née'' Wolfson; September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress, comedian and singer, known for comedic roles in films directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks, including '' What's Up, Doc?'' (1972), ' ...

- Sharon Semple *Margot Steinberg - Lauren Semple * Michael Richards - Mark Ferris *

Julie Hagerty Julie Beth Hagerty (born June 15, 1955) is an American actress. She starred as Elaine in the films ''Airplane!'' (1980) and '' Airplane II: The Sequel'' (1982). Her other film roles include ''A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy'' (1982), ''Lost in Am ...

- Anne Ferris *

Richard Mulligan Richard Mulligan (November 13, 1932 – September 26, 2000) was an American character actor known for his roles in the sitcoms ''Soap'' (1977–1981) and ''Empty Nest'' (1988–1995),. Mulligan was the winner of two Emmy Awards (1980 ...

- Dennis Cummings, Sharon's date. *

Kristen Johnston Kristen Angela Johnston (born September 20, 1967) is an American actress. Best known for her work on television sitcoms, she twice won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Sally Solomon in ...

- Grace Chapman, Diana's assistant. *

Jane Carr Ellen Jane Carr (born 13 August 1950) is an English actress. She is well known for her first film role as Mary McGregor in drama '' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'' (1969) and the voice role of " Pud'n" on the animated ''The Grim Adventures of ...

- Mrs. Sitgood, the concierge. *

- Dr. McMerlin, the back doctor ("a magician with backs!") *

William Franklyn William Leo Franklyn (22 September 1925 – 31 October 2006) was a British actor, perhaps best known for voicing the "Schhh... You Know Who" adverts for Schweppes from 1965 to 1973. He also performed on stage, film, television and radio, ...

- Widely, the hotel supervisor

References

{{Neil Simon Plays by Neil Simon Plays set in hotels Plays set in London Off-Broadway plays