Was Neil Simon America’s Shakespeare?
Theater historian John Kenrick presented a strong case on Friday at the Morristown & Township Library.
A gag writer for Sid Caesar in the early days of television, Simon went on to become the man with the Midas touch on Broadway.
Starting in 1961, he churned out plays and screenplays that have become ingrained in popular culture: Come Blow Your Horn; Barefoot in the Park; The Odd Couple; Sweet Charity; Promises, Promises; The Last of the Red Hot Lovers; The Prisoner of Second Avenue; The Sunshine Boys …
Simon was born in the Bronx on the Fourth of July and died in New York in 2018 at age 91. In between, he authored more than 30 plays.
Critics tended to dismiss him as a “serious” playwright because of his deft comedic touch, according to Kenrick, a personal assistant to six Tony-winning producers who has taught musical theater history at New York University and the New School.
A 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Lost in Yonkers acknowledged Simon’s genius.
Local audiences can see Lost in Yonkers live at the Morristown United Methodist Church on Oct. 27-29, Nov. 3-5, 2023. Tickets are $25.
Pioneer Productions, a community theatrical troupe in its 20th year, has presented God of Carnage and a tribute to composer Jason Robert Brown at the church, its new home.
At the library on Friday, Pioneer actors presented scenes from Yonkers, The Odd Couple (female version), and Prisoner of Second Avenue.
Kenrick returns to the library this Thursday, Oct. 19, for a free 7 pm talk about the making of Gone With the Wind.
Also at the library this week: Xiomaro will discuss his photographs of the Morristown National Historical Park, on Wednesday, Oct. 18, at 1:30 pm. Admission is free.
