The Collected Plays of Neil Simon, Vol. 2 [Paperback]

Neil Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1986 | Series: Collected Plays of Neil Simon (Book 2)

"I suspect I shall keep on writing in a vain search for the perfect play. I hope I will keep my equilibrium and sense of humor when I'm told I haven't achieved it. At any rate, the trip has been wonderful. As George and Ira Gershwin said, "they can't take that away from me." —From Neil Simon's Introduction

And they can't take away the pleasure that Neil Simon's plays have given literally millions of theatergoers in the past quarter of a century. They and the critics agree that a trip to see any one of this master of comedy's stage triumphs ranks among the most wonderful experiences that the American theater offers. The eight plays in this, the second volume of The Collected Plays of Neil Simon, bear eloquent witness to the unique genius of this master playwright who so magnificently blends the joy of laughter and the love of life.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 752 pages
• Publisher: Plume (November 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452263581
• ISBN-13: 978-0452263581
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #163,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Treasure chest, April 26, 2002

By 

"schroederman" (Manchester United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Collected Plays of Neil Simon, Vol. 2 (Paperback)

This lovely volume of eight Neil Simon plays will assume an immediate place of honour on your bookshelf. Well laid out with easy-to-read type, it takes up where volume 1 leaves off. Even those folks not connected with the world of acting can have fun with these scripts. Reading/acting the plays aloud with your family, each person assigned a different role, can be a great activity for quality time -and will hone your comedy timing. Special nuggets include 'Prisoner of second avenue' and 'Chapter Two'. Reading Simon's work reveals greater depth beneath the priceless one-liners that he supplies. That, in fact, is his genius; like Woody Allen and Joseph Heller, Simon first draws you in with laughter only to move you with great humanity. These plays are among his deeper works, as life-experience go into the mix. The stories on these pages are our own, and youll have a ball!

4.0 out of 5 stars Like reality, some hits, some misseas, September 26, 2009

By 

LD400RN (Sebaastopol, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Collected Plays of Neil Simon. Volume 2. (Hardcover)

It is nice to have so many of Mr. Simon's plays in one collection (four or five collections ultimately). I bought this one for the musical "Little Me". The book has a rather depressing, self-depreciating introduction by Mr. Simon and then gets to the plays (I won't list them here). They are easy-reading, contain many stage directions that help the reader picture what is happening on stage, and intelligently written. My one gripe is that there are no credits at the beginning of each one - cast lists, opening date and what theater, how many performances, etc.

This is a good one for studying excellent play structure, character development and motivation, and how to build upon jokes and lines spoken as far back as a previous scene. Well worth the money.

0 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Collected Plays of Neil Simon Vol I, January 11, 2007

By 

Darcy Bolton "Darcy" (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Collected Plays of Neil Simon, Vol. 2 (Paperback)

Most Neil Simon plays are wonderful and I enjoyed reading them. Some of them were no so terriffic.