“California Suite”

Recommended ***  It has been awhile since any of the local theater companies have done a Neil Simon “classic” and I for one would like to thank MadKap Productions for taking the initiative to do so. “The Odd Couple” is probably the most done of his shows ( both Male and female versions), but I always enjoyed the darling “Plaza Suite”, a series of stories that take place in te same suite of rooms in a famous New York hotel. Based on his success ( which may have been started by a T segment on “Love, American Style” back in the 1960’s, Simon did what might be called a sequel, but now in a hotel in Los Angeles entitles “California Suite”. Here again, we have a two room suite in a sort of upscaled hotel, and in two acts, four scenes, we have four unique stories talking place in the same suite of rooms. By the way, the set by Andrew Vanderbye, who also designed the lighting is very realistic and while not a high-budget looking suite, is comfortable and workable for an a small stage such as the one at Skokie Theatre in “Downtown” Skokie.

Directed by Bernard Rice, who does some wonderful “physical comedy” touches with the help from fight choreographer Andrew J. Pond, the small stage works allowing each audience member in the intimate theater to feel as if they are the proverbial “fly on the wall” observing life a sit happens. The first story in Suite 201-203 is “Visitor from New York”. The visitor is Hannah Warren ( smoothly portrayed by Susie Steinmeyer) who has made the journey o LA to meet with her ex-husband relative to the custody of their daughter. Her ex, William is deftly handled by Michael Dwiggins, who has become the more relaxed of the couple and has made the adjustments far better than Hannah has. The conflict over custody is one that is more serious than other stories and while well done by the actors, is , for many viewers, a bit more serious than one expects from Neil Simon.

The second scene in this act, “Visitor from Philadelphia” is top-notch, filled with some great physical comedy touches. The scene opens with  Marvin ( a solid and very comical performance by Tim Walsh) waking up from what appears to have been a wild night. In the bed, next to him is Bunny ( a solid performance by Katie Incardona, who truly proves that there are no such things as “small parts”). Neither of them knows what took place “last night”, but Marvin’s wife, Millie ( solidly played by Nancy Greco) is on her way up to the Suite. They are in town for their nephew’s Bar Mitzvah, which makes the outlandish situation and events from the previous night that much funkier. This scene is a HOOT and well worth the price of the ticket on its own.

After a 15 minute intermission, we come back to the third scene, “Visitors from London”, where now we have Ocar nominee Diana Nichols ( a glorious performance by Elizabeth Rude) and her husband, Sidney ( Vincent P. Mahler) who are terribly British and very “stuffy” and who have their own little secrets. Getting to know them is serious and at the same time very humorous. The chemistry between these actos works well in developing the characters and their back-story. The accents are a bit “rich” so pay close attention. You do not want to miss any of the sterling dialogue between these two.

The final story, “Visitors from Chicago” will ring a bell for many people in the audience. If you have ever gone on a major vacation with “best friends” ( or people who claim to be your best friends) this will find some deeper meaning to you. In this scene, these “besties”, find themselves coming to punches as they do all they can to harm each other on both a physical and mental basis. Mort (Mitch Conti) and his wife, Beth ( Sarah Hazel) had planned the trip so they could be with their “besties”, Stu ( Brian Anthony Hoffman, who shows his true comic touch halfway into the scene) and Gert ( once again, the physical Katie Incardona, who speaks in this one). They had to lend them the money for the trip, pay for all the extra luggage and help them find all the places to go and eat. Gert and Stu were hopeful to be a part of the trip and be allowed to voice their own opinions, but were not. The scene starts with a tennis accident and goes straight downhill from there, and yet, it is filled with comedy touches.

“California Suite”, while not as solidly developed and written as “Plaza Suite” has some wonderful moments. Rice has opted to use a larger cast of players than normal, allowing us to meet the characters and truly know which is which. In many cases, actors take on two or three different roles, which often can confuse the audience members who cannot keep up with the stories. This si a fin show, done with the feeling that I am sure Simon wanted to create. The tech people did a masterful job. In addition to the set and lighting, the costumes (Wendy Kaplan), props ( Hillarie M. Shockley) and stage crew made this two-hours move smoothly adding to the enjoyment.

“California Suite” will continue at The Skokie Theatre located at 7924 N. Lincoln Avenue ( just before Oakton) in Skokie thru July 14th with performances as follows:

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays  7:30 p.m.

Sundays  2 p.m.

Wednesday, June 27th at 1:30 p.m.

Tickets are $34, seniors  $29 and students  $24- OPEN SEATING

To make your reservations call 847-677-7761 or visit www.SkokieTheatre.org

Plenty of street parking in the area as well as several nearby eateries. Check with the Skokie Chamber

If you are not a driver, there are many ways to get to the theater by public transportation

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “California Suite”