Plaza Suite at Melville Theatre

Melville Theatre’s February production of Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite, featuring the bittersweet and hilarious stories of three couples staying in suite 719 of New York’s Plaza Hotel, will feature different directors for each of its three acts

One couple’s long marriage is showing some wear and tear; high school sweethearts meet again after 17 years; and another couple deal with their daughter’s wedding day. 

Neil Simon is famed for writing The Odd Couple, Barefoot in the Park, Sweet Charity, The Last of the Red Hot Lovers and Biloxi Blues. 

Overall creative director, producer and Melville Theatre president Susan Lynch said it made sense to use three directors for the show. 

“Plaza Suite is essentially written as if they are three self-contained plays,” she said. “The theatre has a lot of talented members and this allows three of them to shine as directors. 

“They are sharing ideas and progressing with each other as they go along, bringing the humour out of the script. 

“My role is to coordinate the overall production and make sure the show works well as one whole.” 

Clare Talbot is the director of act one, also known as A Visitor from Mamaroneck. 

“I have directed many plays through my teaching career, Fringe World and university but not in this space and am excited about working with the other directors,” she said. 

“I’m intrigued to explore the relationships between the characters and develop a production that shows authenticity to the emotional connection between them while also delivering the comic aspects of the play.” 

Michelle Sharp directs act two of Plaza Suite, called A Visitor From Hollywood. 

“I found the underlying story of first love and two people finding their way back to each other after years apart touching, so this is what we have focused on,” she said. 

“We’ve also been working on the adapting the physical jokes so they work for a modern audience.” 

Siobhán O’Gara is directing act three, A Visitor From Forest Hills. 

“It’s a good opportunity to work with a celebrated script by a highly regarded playwright, which has proven longevity and is still loved by audiences after all these decades,” she said. 

“Neil Simon is remembered for his comedies but his plays are also dramas so the challenge is honouring the humour without losing the essential message of the play.” 

Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite plays from February 17 to March 4, 2023 Tickets are $23, $18 concession – book at www.TAZTix.com.au.  

Melville Theatre is at 393A Canning Highway (corner of Stock Road), Palmyra, WA. 

Images (from top): Act one of Plaza Suite - Karen Nash (Natalie Burbage, top) looks into the eyes of Sam (Joel Sammels) in Plaza Suite; Also in Act one, Laura Mercer, left, as the waiter, Joel Sammels as Sam Nash, Natalie Burbage as Karen Nash and Audrey Poor as Jean McCormack; Muriel Tate (Sarah Diggins, left) and Jesse Kiplinger (Brian O’Donovan) raise their glasses in act two of Plaza Suite. Picture: Mel Cook Photography; and Norma Hubley (Susan Lynch, left) and Roy Hubley (Geoffrey Leeder) sound out the situation in act three of Plaza Suite.