Emerson Colonial Theatre Official Blog

Plaza Suite

On January 22, 1968, the world premiere of Neil Simon's play opened at the Colonial Theatre starring Maureen Stapleton and George C. Scott.

The play is composed of three acts, each of them involving different characters stay in Suite 719 of New York City’s famed Plaza Hotel. The first act, Visitor from Mamaroneck follows an unhappily wedded couple who revisits their honeymoon suite in hopes to re-spark what once was. The second act, Visitor from Hollywood, involves a movie producer and his old flame, a suburban housewife who is only interested in a chat between old friends, yet the producer repeatedly attempts to seduce her. The third act, Visitor from Forest Hills, revolves around a married couple on the morning of their daughters wedding as they attempt to calm the brides nerves while he refuses to leave the suite bathroom to attend her wedding. After the Colonial, the play opened at the Plymouth Theatre on Broadway on February 14, 1968 and continue to run for almost three years and 1097 performances.  

The play was a huge success and was later adapted into a film version in 1970, titled Out-of-Towners.

In 2020, Boston was welcomed back into Suite 719 when Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick starred in the Broadway-bound revival--only two weeks apart from the original production's opening night. 

Images from Friedman-Abeles and Joan Marcus