''Rose's Dilemma'' is the final

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

written 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 received three ...

. It ran in Los Angeles and

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

in 2003.

Productions

The play was produced

by the

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Lynne Meadow has been the company’s Artistic Director and visionary since 1972. Barry Grove joined the company in 19 ...

at City Center's Stage 1. It ran from November 20, 2003 until February 1, 2004. Directed by Lynn Meadow, it starred

John Cullum John Cullum (born March 2, 1930) is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in many stage musicals and dramas, including '' Shenandoah'' (1975) and '' On the Twentieth Century'' (1978), winning the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in ...

, Patricia Hodges, David Aaron Baker, and Geneva Carr.Jones, Kenneth
"Dust Settled, Neil Simon's ''Rose's Dilemma'' Opens Dec. 18 Off-Broadway"
playbill.com, December 18, 2003

Mary Tyler Moore Mary Tyler Moore (December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017) was an American actress, producer, and social advocate. She is best known for her roles on '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'' (1961–1966) and ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), whic ...

, who started in previews, left the show on December 3, prior to opening. ''Variety'' reported that "(Mary Tyler) Moore was in previews with the production when, according to reports, Simon sent her a letter admonishing her to learn her lines. She exited the play forthwith." Under the title ''Rose and Walsh'', the play premiered earlier in 2003 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

at the Geffen Playhouse. Directed by David Esbjornson, it starred

Len Cariou Leonard Joseph Cariou (; born September 30, 1939) is a Canadian stage actor, singer and stage director. He gained prominence for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in the original cast of Stephen Sondheim's musical '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barbe ...

as Walsh,

Jane Alexander Jane Alexander (née Quigley; born October 28, 1939) is an American-Canadian actress and author. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Academy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. From 1993 ...

as Rose, Marin Hinkle as Arlene, and David Aaron Baker as Clancy. The ''Variety'' reviewer, as quoted in ''Playbill'', wrote: "there's a big audience for a work like this, especially when it's in the hands of these four fine actors." The play was produced in 2006 in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, under the title ''Fantasma d'Amore'': it was also the

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

an premier, directed by Pino Strabioli and starring

Anna Mazzamauro Anna Mazzamauro (born 1 December 1938) is an Italian actress, comedian and television personality. Life and career Born Anna Maria Mazzamauro in Rome, Mazzamauro made her film debut in 1967, in Massimo Franciosa's '' Pronto... c'è una certa ...

as Rose and Michele Gammino as Walsh.

Plot

Author Rose Steiner, suffering from writer's block, needs money and is determined to write another "blockbuster." Rose fantasizes her dead lover, Walsh McLaren, a famous and successful writer. At Walsh's suggestion, Rose decides to complete his unfinished novel, asking a young writer living nearby to help. Rose's assistant, and daughter, Arlene, is trying to be helpful and becomes romantically involved with the young writer, Gavin Clancy.

Reception

The ''Variety'' reviewer wrote: "Neil Simon's new play is a strained, sentimental comedy-drama that will hardly burnish the reputation of the veteran playwright, or of Manhattan Theater Club, where it is clunking across the stage in a stiff production from artistic director Lynne Meadow."Isherwood, Charles
''Rose's Dilemma''"
''Variety'', December 18, 2003 Elyse Sommer of ''CurtainUp'' wrote: "The fantasy element and the use of celebrity characters may seem like an established writer's brave venture into new territory. Alas, this turns out to be a false promise since nothing in ''Rose's Dilemma'' comes off as fresh and new... In ''Rose's Dilemma'' there's no danger of missing anything since the laughs come at greater intervals than ever before... Typical for Manhattan Theatre Club, this is a handsomely staged production, well-directed by MTC's artistic director Lynne Meadow. Thomas Lynch's seaside home is airy and furnished in the best of taste, with the ocean view subtly lit by Pat Collins. The costumes by William Ivey Long are suitable."Sommer, Elyse

''Curtain Up'', December 20, 2003

References

External links

Internet Off-Broadway Database listing
{{Neil simon Rose's Dilemma 2003 plays Off-Broadway plays