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Theater Group To Present Two Acts From 'Plaza Suite'

Photo from Avenue Players Theatre

Edward A. Gomez and Pat Alvarez play the parents of a reluctant bride in "Plaza Suite." Two acts of the Neil Simon play will be presented by the Avenue Players Theatre at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, in Tarpon Springs.

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By Cheryl  Bentley | The Suncoast News

Published: November 21, 2008

Updated:

In keeping with the light-hearted spirit of the holidays, Avenue Players Theatre will present a classic Neil Simon comedy.

The production will feature Act I and Act III of Simon's "Plaza Suite" from Dec. 3 to Dec. 7, at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs.

"His plays are of a quality you don't find in some later playwrights," said director Diana Forgione about Simon. "They are structured and funny, but very, very real."

The acts feature separate characters and plots. Both acts are set in suite 719 of New York City's Plaza Hotel in 1967.

Because of time constraints, Act II is not included in the performance.

In the first act, married couple Karen and Sam Nash's plans to revive their romance in the hotel's honeymoon suite go awry when the two get into an argument over whether Sam is having an affair with his secretary.

In Act III, Norma and Roy Hubley frantically try to get their daughter Mimsey to come out of the suite's bathroom, where she has locked herself on her wedding day in a panic over her close-at-hand vows.

The play's comic moments arise from a gentle look at the foibles inherent in the human condition.

"It's in no way mean spirited," said Forgione.

Simon is a well-known playwright and screenwriter who has written such hits as "Barefoot in the Park," "The Odd Couple" and "California Suite." He has won three Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and a Golden Globe Award.

Audiences will get an extra treat after the performance. Actors will discuss the play and their performances with the audience. This gives actors an audience perspective on their roles, Forgione said, and also presents the audience with a deeper understanding of the play from insights into the actors' points of view.

The lead actors, Pat Alvarez, Doris Cerio, Edward A. Gomez, Lindsay Miller and Ira Wolf, are veterans of regional theatrical productions.

Diana Forgione, a Pasco County resident, is a long-time presence in regional theater. She founded the Avenue Players Theatre in 1993.

The group became the Leepa-Rattner Museum's resident theater company when the museum, which features 20th century art, opened in January 2002.

The lowdown

The Avenue Players Theatre production of two acts from Neil Simon's "Plaza Suite" will be performed at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, Thursday, Dec. 4, and Friday, Dec. 5, and at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6; and Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art. The museum is at 600 Klosterman Road, west of U.S. 19, on the St. Petersburg College Tarpon Springs Campus. Tickets are $12, general public, and $10, members. Box office telephone is 727-712-5762.

Cheryl Bentley can be reached at 727-815-1069 cbentley@suncoastnews.com.

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