About the Play:

Rose's Dilemma is a full-length comedy by Neil Simon. Celebrated author Rose Steiner is suffering from writer's block and money is getting short. Find out what happens when the ghost of her soul mate, another legendary writer, visits her trying to convince her to finish the novel he was writing before he died. How she'll pull it off is one of the dilemmas in the final play by the man who gave us The Odd Couple, Lost in Yonkers and Brighton Beach Memoirs.

Rose's Dilemma is inspired by the true-life romance between playwright, Lillian Hellman, and mystery novel author, Dashiell Hammett. In her beach house in the Hamptons, celebrated writer Rose Stern stands at a crossroads: she hasn't written anything in years and is running short of money through her extravagant spending, so she is determined to publish another bestseller. From beyond the grave, literary lion and her former lover Walsh McLaren suggests an idea that he promises will restore her celebrity and earn millions. He left behind an unfinished book of his own that offers an opportunity to bring in an income by completing it. She enlists the help of a young author, Gavin Clancy, with only one book to his name, but she is not impressed by his demeanour and attitude. It's not going to be easy and her earnest but exasperated assistant, Arlene Moss, helps to keep the project on track, setting in motion another touching and unpredictable romantic comedy by America's premier Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Neil Simon.

Rose's Dilemma premiered in 2003 under the title Rose and Walsh at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, and opened later that same year by Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) at City Center's Stage 1 off Broadway in New York City. The play has been performed in regional repertory, college, and community theatre productions.

Cast: 2 women, 2 men

What people say:

"Mr. Simon is still producing a brand of comedy that takes the sting out of mortal fears." — The New York Times

About the Playwright:

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.