Neil Simon's California Suite

We’ve all wondered what we’d see as a fly on the wall in a hotel room. And if you’re going to be a fly, few places would be more fun to be than the Beverly Hills Hotel. It’s famous Polo Lounge has been a hang-out for the Hollywood elite for decades. Frank Sinatra had Bungalow 22 redecorated to his tastes for when he and the Rat Pack were in residence. Even Donald Trump was known to retreat from the public eye there and spend a quiet evening alone relaxing and watching shark movies on TV. The staff at the hotel is famous for impeccable service and discretion in handling billionaires, visiting royalty and superstars.

In 1968, Neil Simon debuted his blockbuster hit, Plaza Suite, where he put a fly on the wall of New York’s Plaza Hotel and told three different stories about the occupants of a single room. When he went to write the sequel in 1976, what better target could he find than the Beverly Hills Hotel? America’s master of comedy wrote four stories about the occupants of Suite 203, and these are being presented at Skokie Theatre from June 22 to July 14.

In Visitor from New York, Hannah Warren is a Manhattan workaholic who flies to Los Angeles to retrieve her teenaged daughter Jenny after she leaves home to live with her divorced father Billy. Billy, a former New York elitist has embraced a new life in California filled with yoga and whole grains. The bickering divorced couple is forced to decide what living arrangements are best for their daughter. Hannah is played by Susan Steinmeyer and Billy by Michael Dwiggins.

Conservative middle-aged businessman Marvin Michaels is the Visitor from Philadelphia, who awakens after consuming a bottle of vodka to discover a prostitute named Bunny unconscious in his bed. The front desk calls to tell Marvin that his wife, Millie, is on her way up to the suite. In a scene worthy of I Love Lucy, he must find a way to conceal all traces of his roommate while keeping his wife out of the bedroom. Tim Walsh returns to Skokie Theatre as Marvin after appearing last summer as the Vice-Principal in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Nancy Grego, last seen in Rocket City, Alabam’ plays his wife.

The Visitors from London are British actress Diana Nichols, a first-time nominee for an Academy Award, and her husband Sidney. The Oscar is an honor that could jumpstart her faltering career. Although Diana knows she doesn't have a chance of winning, she prepares for her moment in the spotlight with her mood fluctuating from hope to panic to despair. Elizabeth Rude (Rocket City, Alabam’) starts as Diana, with Vincent P. Mahler as her husband. Mahler was last seen as Dr. Dysart in Equus.

The Visitors from Chicago are two couples who take a much-needed vacation together. After two weeks of travelling together, things deteriorate into hilarity when a mixed-doubles tennis match goes horribly wrong. Mitch Conti, Sarah Hazel, Brian Anthony Hoffman, and Katie Incardona star.

California Suite is performed from June 22 through July 14. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:00 pm, with a Wednesday afternoon matinee on June 27 at 1:30 pm. Tickets are $34 general admission, $29 for seniors, and $24 for students and can be purchased online at SkokieTheatre.org or by calling 847-677-7761.

California Suite is the first play in the 2018-19 Play Series by MadKap Productions. Other shows in the series include Man of La Mancha (Sept.), Proof (Nov.) and Bonnie and Clyde: The Musical (Feb.) A series ticket only costs $94 and includes a fifth guest ticket to any one of the performances.