London Suite

"London Suite" is a play by Neil Simon, later made into a 1996 Made-for-TV movie. It is in a similar style to Simon's earlier works: "Plaza Suite" and "California Suite".

The action takes place in a London hotel overlooking Hyde Park. The main characters are:

*Brian Cronin and Billy Fox. Brian is a successful Welsh novelist; Billy is his manager, whom Brian has caught in the process of running off with all his money. In the film, this pair was changed to Debra and Paul Dolby, a newlywed couple from New York who are on their honeymoon. Paul has disappeared after the couple had a fight on the plane, and now Debra is caught in a chain of increasingly ridiculous lies when she runs into his relatives at the hotel.

*Sidney and Diana Nichols. A divorced couple: she is an actress, and he is living with his male lover. Now he claims he needs money from her to help his dying partner. The pair are based on characters from "California Suite", played in the 1978 film by Michael Caine and Maggie Smith.

*Sharon and Lauren Semple. A mother and daughter on a shopping trip. Lauren convinces her mother to go on a date with an elderly man, even though Sharon is heavily against it.

*Mark and Anne Ferris. An American couple who are in London for the Wimbledon Championships. Their plans are put on hold, however, when Anne loses the tickets, Mark's back gives out, and they are asked to move because they have accidentally been given Kevin Costner's suite.

With the exception of Sidney and Diana's storyline (and Brian and Billy's in the play), the plots are largely comedic.

Film cast

The cast of the 1996 movie, directed by Jay Sandrich:

*Kelsey Grammer - Sidney Nichols
*Patricia Clarkson - Diana Nichols
*Julia Louis-Dreyfus - Debra Dolby
*Jonathan Silverman - Paul Dolby
*Madeline Kahn - Sharon Semple
*Margot Steinberg - Lauren Semple
*Michael Richards - Mark Ferris
*Julie Hagerty - Anne Ferris
*Richard Mulligan - Dennis Cummings, Sharon's date.
*Kristen Johnston - Grace Chapman, Diana's assistant.
*Jane Carr - Mrs. Sitgood, the concierge.
*Paxton Whitehead - Dr. McMerlin, the back doctor ("a magician with backs!")
*William Franklyn - Widley, the hotel supervisor