By James V. Ruocco
The verbal interplay of Neil Simon's four-part comedy "California Suite" takes center stage in Castle Craig Players lively, brilliantly staged revival of the playwright's 1976 Broadway comedy, which is set in Suite 203-04 of L.A.'s posh Beverly Hills Hotel.
Laced with Simon's trademark jibes, jokes, observations, trade-offs, slapstick, pathos and sparkling one-liners, the play is a massive comic entertainment of aesthetic and tone, translated with five-star speed, pacing and balance by director Pam Amodio and played impeccably by a ten-member cast who interpret the playwright's non-stop hilarity and madness with free-flowing pops of wiggle, dazzle, shag, warmth, wildness and wonderful, wonderful immersion.
Playful.
Confident.
Cheeky.
Giggly.
Conversational.
This production of "California Suite" not only solidifies Simon's punchy, infectious wit but earns notable raves for every single person involved.
The director.
The cast.
The set designer.
The costume designer.
The lighting designer.
The tech/sound operator.
The producer.
It is live entertainment with a beating comic heart.
It is feisty.
It is bold.
It is energetic.
It tilts.
It hops.
It frames.
The laughter is non-stop.
Similar in style to both "Plaza Suite" and "London Suite," all four acts unfold with their very own set of individual stories, characters, wind-ups, conversations and humor.
The Visitors from New York
The characters: Hannah Warren, Bobbie Warren
The plot: Manhattan workaholic Hannah Warren arrives in Los Angeles to retrieve her teenaged daughter Jenny who has been living with her ex-wife Bobbie, a chic, successful screenwriter.
The reunion - a battle of wit, bickering, whimsy and practicality - finds the divorced lesbian couple deciding what living arrangement - New York or L.A. - would be the best option for their young daughter.
The actors: Gina Marie Davies, Tina Marie Falivene
Originally conceived by Simon as a heterosexual pairing (i.e., William Warren instead of Bobbie Warren), this reworking, or gay twist, if you prefer, adds important shading, dimension, momentum and thrust to the piece, all of which is unfaltering in its presentation. Director Pam Amodio advocates this change with sure-fire command, thus creating a fast-paced sequence that keeps the playwright's key elements in place along with his penchant for choice one-liners, comic banter and bittersweet resolution.
"The Visitors from New York" also benefits from the witty, confident performances of both Davies and Falivene, two fascinating actresses whose grasp of Simon's play text is real, raw and timely. Their work is also showcased with exceptional charm, savvy and splendidly orchestrated conversation.
The Visitors from Philadelphia
The characters: Marvin Michaels, Millie Michaels, Bunny
The plot: Middle-aged businessman Marvin Michaels - in town for his nephew's bar mitzvah - has got a problem. A BIG problem, you might say.
After a good night's sleep, he awakens and finds a prostitute named Bunny - a gift from his brother Harry - unconscious in his bed after consuming a very large bottle of vodka. A call from the front desk finds Marvin trying to hide all traces of Bunny and their night of drunken fun once the operator tells him that wife Millie is on her way up to their suite.
The actors: Nick Demetriades, Dawn Maselli, Malena Gordo
Staging this comic free-for-all, Amodio crafts a three-ring circus of slapstick, madness and mayhem which benefits greatly from her seamless blend of perfectly timed humor, suggestion, reaction, expression and staging maneuvers.
Demetriades and Maselli are absolutely hilarious as the perplexed couple whose California vacation has been ruined by a meaningless bedroom romp that nearly destroys their marriage. As a duo, they are well-matched. They get Simon. They understand Simon. They know how to play Simon. They also know how to get a laugh in the manner that Simon intended.
As Bunny, Gordo figures predominantly into their story as well. Though her character is supposedly unconscious, Amodio fuels the fire with moves, positions and abject silliness that have been timed to the millisecond in order for them to work within the context of the story. Godro adheres to the orchestrated wackiness magnificently.
The Visitors from London
The characters: Diana Nichols, Sidney Nichols
The plot: It's Oscar night and British actress Diana Nichols, a first-time nominee for Best Actress is in a panic. Nominated for a silly, inconsequential little comedy of no importance, she knows she doesn't stand a chance of winning and would like to skip the entire, stupid affair. Husband Sidney, a gay antiques dealer with a penchant for pretty young men, believes they should attend the event and spare the studio any form of embarrassment.
They go, of course, but upon their return to the hotel, Diana, after throwing up on girl in a Pucci muu-muu, comes back a loser. Sidney, in turn, has spent the evening flirting and chatting madly with an adorable young actor named Adam.
The actors: Deanna Swanson, John Swanson
This sequence is a vital watch, most notably for Simon's verbal sparring, his brash, energetic commentary, his snappy punchlines, his sharp scattering and his inside jokes about Hollywood, the Academy Awards, the nominations, the acceptance speeches and the poor fools who are asked to dress up, play nice, get drunk and drift off into the night as winners or losers, depending on how the voting process is resolved.
As director and storyteller, Amodio concocts a riveting ritual of harsh realities, magnetic pulls and playful animosity, matched to perfection by real-life married couple Deanna and John Swanson who have a field day - and then some - in the roles of Diana and Sidney Nichols.
Their odd-couple affair is rife with breezy welcome, invested craftsmanship, cool logic, passionate argument, ferociously delivered banter and crisp, pungent one-liners. The wit drawn out from these snappy exchanges is as priceless as their exceptional, in-the-moment performances.
The Visitors from Chicago
The characters: Mort Hollender, Beth Hollender, Stu Franklyn, Gert Franklyn
The plot: The Hollender's and the Franklyn's are best friends who have decided to take a much-needed vacation together in sunny Los Angeles. Unfortunately, things take a turn for the worse when Beth Hollender is injured in a friendly tennis match by Stu Franklyn.
Mort Hollender thinks Stu deliberately caused the accident. Did he? Or, did Beth just trip? Was Gert a witness? Is their friendship over?
The actors: Michael Jack Kaczynski, Malena Gordo, Bret Olson, Katie Kirkland
With Amodio pulling the strings, "The Visitors from Chicago" is a sustained, divinely daft, wildly caricatured comedy segment expertly choreographed by you-know-who and played to the hilt by its fantastic foursome - Kaczynski, Gordo, Olson and Kirkland.
Simon's breakneck exercise in over-extended idiocy is flawlessly recreated by this precision-drilled comic quartet, all of whom get everything they do exactly right under Amodio's enthusiastic direction. They have fun. We have fun. They laugh. We laugh.
The funnier things become, they dig right in, leaving you aching with laugher upon laughter right through the curtain calls.
Photos of "California Suite" courtesy of Kevin McNair
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