Neil Simon's Accomplishments
Arthur Miller has had a great many successful and well-known plays, most notably The Crucible. Miller’s play “The Crucible” is actually based on the witch hunt that went on looking for communists and communist sympathizers in the writing and acting community in the 50’s, but set in Salem in 1692. After the play opened in 1953, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) took an interest in the play writer. And in 1954they denied him a passport so that he could go to London, England where he play was scheduled to open. However, being married to Marilyn Monroe did seem to “help” the play write out. So unlike many during this time, he wasn’t black balled and lose his ability to write or have his plays staged. On the contrary, Miller had
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a career that would span seven decades and is considered to be one, if not “the” greatest dramatist of the twentieth century. Even his lesser received play, “The Man who had all the Luck” won the Theatre Guild’s National Award.
Neil Simon is an American playwright, screenwriter, and multi-award winner.
He has written more than 30 plays, and has written many of those which have been adapted for the screen (more than 20 films). Simon started his writing career writing comedy for Sid Caesar’s “Your Show of Shows,” and for the Phil Silver’s Show in the 1950’s. Simon’s first play was “Come blow your horn,” in 1961, which ran for 678 performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. His next play would be the successful “Barefoot in the Park,” in 1963, followed by his 1965 Tony award winning play “The Odd Couple” (Though Simon has been nominated 17 times for a Tony award, he has only won 3 and has been nominated for an Oscar 4 times for his screenplays). Theatre critic John Lahr has said that Simon’s primary themes deal with about being the “silent majority” in society, those who feel isolated, insecure, and frustrated. His characters are likable and easy for the audiences to identify with, as they too are struggling to find a sense of belonging, have troubled relationships in business, marriage, or friendships. In his plays, Simon seems to capture memories of growing up, or times gone by, in which we can all wistfully relate to and understand (if not long for). He truly is a living legend of the theatre and film; it is no wonder that he won the Mark Twain Prize for Humor in
2006.
While both playwrights are amazing and gifted in their own right, I see Simon as being the more prolific and accessible dramatist. By that I mean that with Simon’s characters we can either see a little bit of ourselves or people that we know. So we can more easily laugh at the foibles, the pain, and the slice of American life that he writes about so well.
a career that would span seven decades and is considered to be one, if not “the” greatest dramatist of the twentieth century. Even his lesser received play, “The Man who had all the Luck” won the Theatre Guild’s National Award.
Neil Simon is an American playwright, screenwriter, and multi-award winner.
He has written more than 30 plays, and has written many of those which have been adapted for the screen (more than 20 films). Simon started his writing career writing comedy for Sid Caesar’s “Your Show of Shows,” and for the Phil Silver’s Show in the 1950’s. Simon’s first play was “Come blow your horn,” in 1961, which ran for 678 performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. His next play would be the successful “Barefoot in the Park,” in 1963, followed by his 1965 Tony award winning play “The Odd Couple” (Though Simon has been nominated 17 times for a Tony award, he has only won 3 and has been nominated for an Oscar 4 times for his screenplays). Theatre critic John Lahr has said that Simon’s primary themes deal with about being the “silent majority” in society, those who feel isolated, insecure, and frustrated. His characters are likable and easy for the audiences to identify with, as they too are struggling to find a sense of belonging, have troubled relationships in business, marriage, or friendships. In his plays, Simon seems to capture memories of growing up, or times gone by, in which we can all wistfully relate to and understand (if not long for). He truly is a living legend of the theatre and film; it is no wonder that he won the Mark Twain Prize for Humor in
2006.
While both playwrights are amazing and gifted in their own right, I see Simon as being the more prolific and accessible dramatist. By that I mean that with Simon’s characters we can either see a little bit of ourselves or people that we know. So we can more easily laugh at the foibles, the pain, and the slice of American life that he writes about so well.