Tag: Neil Simon

Broadway Dimming Lights to Honor Neil Simon

August 27, 2018 Azlyrics No Comments Star News

Broadway will dim its lights in honor of Neil Simon.
No other American playwright has had as many performances or as many shows in production simultaneously on Broadway," said Thomas Schumacher, chairman of the Broadway League. "The outpouring of accolades and personal memories being shared since his death are a tribute to how deeply he influenced our culture and touched the lives of literally millions of theatergoers." "Neil Simon's plays are a testament to the human experience: He made audiences laugh, cry, and think.
Simon's dozens of works include "Barefoot in the Park," "Plaza Suite," and "Broadway Bound." He also wrote musicals such as "Little Me" and "Sweet Charity," and screenplays for "The Out-of-Towners," "The Heartbreak Kid," and "The Goodbye Girl." At one point, in the late 1960s, there were four Simon-penned shows playing on Broadway at the same time. 30 at exactly 6:45 p.m. The lights on the Great White Way will go dark on Aug. ET for one minute.
Simon received 17 Tony Award nominations and won the award three times over the course of his career. He also received a special Tony in 1975 for his contribution to the theater. Simon is survived by his wife, Elaine; children, Ellen, Nancy, and Bryn; three grandchildren; and one great-grandson.” />
The Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, librettist, lyricist, producer, and theatre owner and operator died Sunday at the age of 91. His credits include "Lost in Yonkers," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," "The Sunshine Boys," and "The Odd Couple."

Dan Rather, Bill Prady and More Remember Neil Simon: ‘What an Enduring Legacy’

August 26, 2018 Azlyrics No Comments Star News


Legendary playwright Neil Simon died Sunday due to complications from pneumonia at age 91.
"Today Show" host Al Roker wrote that "the laughter and joy he leaves behind is priceless."
"#ThanksfortheLaughs." Mark Hamill called Simon a "GIANT of the American theatre" and included a quote from Simon.
"There is no American comedy writer whose work isn't influenced by the rhythm and music of Neil Simon's words," he wrote. "With gratitude, Doc." "Big Bang Theory" creator Bill Prady remembered Simon.


The Tony Awards tweeted that he was a "God of Broadway."
"West Wing" and "Scandal" actor Josh Malina said he "grew up going to his plays in NYC."


Josh Gad said that Simon's work, "as both a participant and audience, has defined and shaped me on my own journies and [career] trajectory. RIP to another lost legend."


The "Odd Couple" and "Barefoot in the Park" writer had more than 30 plays mounted on Broadway, and also wrote numerous films, some original and other adaptations of his theater works. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1991 for his play "Lost in Yonkers," and received more Oscar and Tony nominations combined than any other writer.
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Dan Rather eloquently wrote, "He prodded us — in laughter and tears — to contend with the traits that make us human."


See more reacts below.
Playwright and Broadway actor Harvey Fierstein paid tribute to Simon. "A loss 4 the entire entertainment industry…What a gent."
https://twitter.com/rmayemsinger/status/1033757170670559238
British musical theater actress and singer Elaine Paige wrote that he "truly was the king of #Broadway comedy."
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Simon's former wife and actress Marsha Mason posted a tribute to her ex-husband: "He was a great talent and man, husband and father. With his passing, his work and plays live on and will be enjoyed by many generations to come. I miss him deeply and always." He shall be sorely missed.


Doubtfire" screenwriter Randi Mayem Singer also noted his lasting influence on comedy writers. "Mrs.

Neil Simon Remembered By His Longtime Publicist: ‘He Made an Imprint on the Culture’

August 26, 2018 Azlyrics No Comments Star News

 
"It was an honor to contribute" to someone of Simon's stature, said Evans, who calls himself "a supporting actor" in Simon's life.
Simon was notoriously reluctant to ask favors, he wrote in his memoir "Rewrites." If Evans had not made the lifesaving offer, the New York Times story asked, would he have asked for a kidney donation? "No," he said.
Doctors said a transplant could possibly end up giving him 10 more years of life, and Simon lived for 14 more years. But Evans wasn't just Simon's friend and publicist — in 2004, he donated a kidney to Simon, who was very ill with kidney failure.
 
"It caught the zeitgeist, it's so relatable. He recalled when Simon "exploded onto the scene" with Mike Nichols when "Barefoot in the Park" premiered on Broadway. "He made an imprint on the culture," Evans said. It just touches the right nerve."
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Simon took a chance on hiring Evans as he was getting his start in the business in 1976, working on "California Suite," and they continued working together up until 2006, on some 20 plays.
Evans will write in a note a few weeks after the surgery, but it's really looking forward to Bel Air in a couple of months." The New York Times wrote about the pair's close association at the time: "His kidney loves living on Park Avenue, Mr.
Simon went on to dig deeper and deeper into his experiences growing up in a difficult family situation in New York. It's a slice of Americana, it's us, it's universal." Matthew was brilliant, he got into deeper things. "Matthew Broderick was basically playing him in 'Brighton Beach Memoirs' and Broderick burst into stardom after that. "He kept digging," Evans recalled.
Bill Evans served as publicist for Neil Simon, who died Sunday at 91, for three decades. Simon's longtime friend and associate, who is director of media relations for the Shubert Organization, told Variety he is "very emotional right now, but very grateful to be part of his life."
Evans said "Lost in Yonkers" was another impactful work that probed more serious area's of Simon's upbringing and resulted in a Pulitzer and a Tony.