The Neil Simon classic features a strong cast in multiple roles

Anything by Neil Simon strikes comedic gold. His masterpiece comedy California Suite, currently on stage at Windsor Community Playhouse, is no exception. Directed by Phillip Muniz, this hilarious production features a highly skilled cast of seven actors in four comic scenes, all set in adjoining rooms at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Debuting on Broadway nearly 50 years ago, California Suite was Simon’s West Coast answer to his highly successful play, Plaza Suite, set in the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Both plays enjoyed healthy Broadway runs, and California Suite was made into a film with an all-star cast (Maggie Smith won an Oscar for her performance).

California Suite shows off Simon’s ability to make us laugh at and often cry about the human condition. He finds humor and underlying heartache in nearly every line of dialogue. Each of the four scenes highlights the complexities of love, relationships, and what it means to be human.

A brief recap

The opening scene, “Visitor from New York,” tells the story of a workaholic magazine writer, Hannah (Sarah Spiece Cunningham), who comes to California to retrieve her teenage daughter, now living with her ex-husband William (Jonah Scott) in LA.

Next up is “Visitor from Philadelphia,” a side-splitting conundrum about Marvin (Kevin Nolan) being a “naughty boy” the night before his wife Millie (Marianne Krumdick) flies in to meet him in LA for his nephew’s bar mitzvah. Marvin’s previous night’s entertainment, Bunny (Abigail Larson), is dead drunk in bed for the entire act.

“Visitors from London” features Diana Nichols (Larson), who has been nominated for an Academy Award, preparing for the ceremony alongside her silently suffering husband, Sidney Nichols (Scott). The evening’s aftermath isn’t pretty when the couple returns to their suite empty-handed.

Rounding out the evening is “Visitors from Chicago,” where two young couples nearly kill each other over a botched tennis match. Stu (Dallan Wilson) and his wife Gert (Cunningham) face off against former best friends Mort (Nate Woody) and his wife, Beth (Larson). This one has a fair bit of physical humor into the mix — a highly charged way to end the evening.

Capable cast

Each of the seven actors is allowed to shine, sometimes more than once, creating fully developed characters when called upon to play multiple roles. Stand-outs include Nolan as Marvin Michaels, the guilty husband, and his somewhat whiny wife, Millie, played by Krumdick in the second scene. Both have impeccable comedic timing, serving the script exceedingly well.

As Sidney Nichols, the long-suffering husband of a movie star, Scott delivers a comedic performance with a heartfelt message in the third scene. In the final scene, all four actors display topnotch comedic physical timing when called upon to fight it out over a tennis match gone wrong.

Under Muniz’s direction, the entire production builds to a satisfying crescendo. For the sake of the comedy, Muniz paints each scene with broad brush strokes but allows the underlying poignancy to shine through. (Muniz, also a playwright, is working on a new play and hopes to produce it soon in the same venue.)

California Suite is classic Neil Simon with solid direction and a well-rounded cast. Worth the trip north from Denver, this production is a refreshing example of laugh-out-loud comedy with a dash of pathos.  Catch it before it closes on April 21.