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Chapter Two
Chapter Two
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Author: Neil Simon Publisher: Samuel French Format: Softcover # of Pages: 144 Pub. Date: 1979 ISBN-10: 0573607567 ISBN-13: 9780573607561 Cast Size: 2 women, 2 men
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About
the Play:
Chapter Two is a full-length comedy by Neil Simon. A
successful writer mourning the recent loss of his beloved wife fears
he will never love again until a grudging five-minute meeting with a
recently divorced actress blooms into a passionate romance. Neil
Simon's comedy about love the second time around is based on the
author's second marriage, which began in the wake of his first wife's
death.
Chapter Two is widely perceived to be an autobiographical
revelation of Neil Simon's coming to terms with the death of
his first wife from cancer, followed by his love affair and subsequent marriage
to actress Marsha Mason. This very funny but poignant play is based
around four brilliantly penned characters: George Schneider, a
recently widowed spy novelist; Jenny Malone, a levelheaded actress;
Leo, George's garrulous but loving younger brother; and Faye, Jenny's
utterly clueless but enchanting friend. George has not moved on from
the untimely demise of his wife, despite Leo's best efforts to hook
him up with other women. Then Leo comes up with Jennie Malone, who's
just walked out of a terrible marriage to a football player, and in a
very short space of time they're in love. Still, it's a bumpy trip on
the road to Dreamland for these not-so-young lovers. George and
Jennie stumble on, overcoming both their hesitation on the rebound
and emotional neediness. But George's memories catch up with him and
he soon finds himself trapped between the past and the present, and
the new relationship starts to crumble. Can he reconcile his past and
move forward with Jenny, a sentimental woman with a strong head on
her shoulders? Do they give up or work things out? In a hilarious,
farcical subplot, Leo has a fling with Faye, Jennie's neurotic
married friend. Although it seems like a heavy subject to deal with,
Neil Simon's wonderful narrative and witty and humorous
dialogue makes Chapter Two an immensely likeable piece. In
George and Jenny, he shows us complexity and simplicity. In Leo and
Faye, he presents us with two of the most confused yet adorable
characters that we connect with right from the word go.
Chapter Two had a pre-Broadway engagement in 1977 at the
Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles and won the Los Angeles Drama Critics
Circle Awards for Distinguished Production and Distinguished
Playwriting. It premiered later that same year at the Imperial
Theatre and ran for over a year on Broadway, receiving a Tony Award
nomination for Best Play. The
play is considered one of Neil Simon’s finest works and
is
regularly performed in regional repertory, high school, college, and
community theatre productions.
Cast: 2 women, 2 men.
What people say:
"A sure smash." —
Variety
"Lovely whimsical and touching
and always funny...most of the time downright hilarious." —
New York Post
Neil Simon (1927-2018) was America's most prolific
playwright. He had dozens of plays and nearly as many major motion
pictures produced. He was showered with more Academy and Tony
nominations than any other writer, and is the only playwright to have
four Broadway productions running simultaneously. His plays have been
produced in dozens of languages, and have been blockbuster hits from
Beijing to Moscow. His true success, however, is in his unique way of
exposing something real in the American spirit.
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