Theater Review: Neil Simon's "California Suite" - Castle Craig Players

Neil Simon’s “California Suite” is being presented by the Castle Craig Players in Meriden. The comedy runs through Oct. 23 on the Castle Craig stage as part of their 30th anniversary season.

The “humorous confection” of “California Suite,” written by Simon in 1976 and similar in structure to his earlier “Plaza Suite,” is composed of four playlets, the action of which takes place in the same suite in the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel. Each act shows the antics that unfold during the stay of a different set of visitors, and is at times funny, silly and even poignant.

The comedy opens with two visitors from New York in late fall, a formerly married couple discussing the 17 year old daughter that they share. In the Castle Craig version, Bobbie has become a lesbian ex-wife of Hannah. Gina Marie Davies, who I enjoyed in the role of Mrs. Peacock in “Clue,” portrays Hannah and Tina Marie Falivene returns to this stage to play Bobbie. Both actresses do well with their roles.

The second act takes place in mid December when a married couple come to the West Coast from Philadelphia for a bar mitzvah and the husband is caught in a compromising position.
Marvin is portrayed by Nick Demetriades and Millie is played by Dawn Maselli.

After intermission, there are two visitors from London, the actress Diana and her husband Sydney, who appear in two scenes surrounding the Oscar gala in early April. Deanna Swanson is a delight as the Oscar-nominated actress and her husband, John Swanson, plays the role of the complicated Sydney. The Swansons founded Lollipop Opera in 2009 to perform original children’s operas at schools throughout the state.

The final act has the largest cast and happens during a July fourth vacation. We see the escapades of two affluent couples after a tennis match. Malena Gordo plays Beth and Michael Jack Kaczynski (Professor Plum in “Clue”) is her husband Mort. Gordo, an actor originally from Argentina and currently based in Connecticut, is a delight in her first role on the Castle Craig stage, adding a Spanish flair to her character. I look forward to seeing her on more stages.

Katie Kirtland, who has stage managed and assistant directed previous production for this group, is Gert and Bret Olson is Stu in his second Castle Craig appearance.

Pamela Amodia (“Steel Magnolias”) directed the large cast for their various scenes and has a good handle on how to make the characters work.

Lighting design by Dusty Rader (“Clue”) is unobtrusive and Adam Plumley is in charge of tech and sound operation. The director, Melanie del Sole and Diana Warner Canova collaborated on the flattering costumes, props and set dressing that fit the period. The California hotel room is decorated in sunny tones.

Castle Craig Players reminds its patrons that their ticket sales cover only 60% of their operating costs. With increases that the group has seen in show rights, utilities, insurance and even set construction materials, they expect that this percentage will continue to decrease. Castle Craig accepts online donations to help keep their doors open. They will also hold a 30th anniversary gala on April 1, 2023, with wine and cheese, hor d-oeuvres, a silent auction and performance. They are accepting donations for the silent auction via email at info@castlecraigeplayers.org.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

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