Sadly, The Broadway Era Of My Time Is Swiftly Vanishing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          Just last year, on August 8, we lost Barbara Cook, which killed an era of Musical Theater that will never be seen again.  You know how saddened I was by the death of Barbara Harris, but I would be amiss not mentioning Brian Murray, and Craig Zadan, who, while not my personal icons, may have been such to others.

                           Now, the saddest of cut of all.  The end of a playwrighting era.

                           Neil Simon--a name all us boomers knew from childhood--died yesterday, at the age of 91.  My heart goes out to him, his children, Marsha Mason, first wife, Joan, and anyone privileged to work with him.

                             In the Sixties and Seventies, especially, Neil Simon was IT!  He had four plays running on Broadway simultaneously, during the Sixties, a feat I would guess is unequaled by any other playwright.

                               When he switched to movies, "The Out-Of -Towners" got it SO right about New York,  and "The Goodbye Girl" was a gem.  Even schlock like "Murder By Death" was fun, because it came from Neil Simon.

                                He wrote the book to the musical "Sweet Charity."  And one of his 70's plays, "God's Favorite" (with Vincent Gardenia, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Maria Karnilova, which I saw!) was directed by then up and comer Michael Bennett, who was putting something together called "A Chorus Line."  And Neil Simon had his hands in that.  It was he who humorized and humanized the character of Sheila, and it was his then wife, Marsha Mason, who finally convinced Bennett that Donna McKechnie's character, Cassie, had to get the job, because to not do so would be cheating the audience.  And Bennett agreed, even though he knew, in reality, someone like Cassie would not get that job.

                               I saw my share of plays on the Broadway stage.  Let's see if I can list them.  Here,
they are, in order.

                                1. "God's Favorite" (1974)
                                2. "California Suite (1976)
                                3. "They're Playing Our Song" (1979)
                                4. "Brighton Beach Memoirs" (1983)
                                5. "Biloxi Blues" (1985)
                                6. "Broadway Bound" (1986) (With Joan Rivers, no less, who was wonderful!_)
                                7. " Lost In Yonkers" (1991) (His best!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
                                8. "The Dinner Party" (2000)
                                9. "45 Seconds From Broadway (2001)

                                                    and
                                10. "A Chorus Line" (1975--and countless times afterward!)
                                11. "Sweet Charity"  (1986 revival, with Debbie Allen)
                                12. "Sweet Charity"  (2005 revival, with Christina Applegate)

                                                    Movies
                                13. "The Out-Of Towners" (1970)
                                14. "Murder By Death" (1976)
                                15. "The Goodbye Girl (1977)
                                16. "Only When I Laugh" (1981)
                                17. "Brighton Beach Memoirs" (1986) (With Blythe Danner!)
                                18. "Lost In Yonkers" (1993)

                                 My God, I did better with Simon vehicles, than I thought.  Especially on film!

                                 Rest In Peace, Neil!  Keep writing in the Great Beyond!  Your passing marks the irrevocable end of an era here on Earth!!!!!!!!!!!!