By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHEN?: Saturday 20 January, runs through 30 March 2024 RUNTIME: 150 minutes (including a 20-minute interval) UPDATE: Run extended to 13 April 2024

Real life husband and wife Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker are the perfect pair to bring the best out of this Neil Simon comedy which is arguably the funniest show currently playing in London’s West End.

• Read on for reasons including how Parker’s West End debut is dazzling as she shows off her funny bones

Parker is best known for TV and film’s Sex And The City and here makes a dazzling West End debut opposite a partner allowing her the space to show off her funny bones and shine bright.

Plaza Suite is set in room 719 of New York’s Plaza Hotel and features 3 very different scenes showing real emotion, Austin Powers-level seduction and high farce.

In the first, Visitor From Mamaroneck, it’s 1968, which is when this comedy first played in the US, and Parker’s wife Karen has booked the room she and husband Sam spent their honeymoon in 23 – or was it 24? – years ago.

Broderick’s Sam can’t tear himself away from work and it’s Parker who has the more interesting role as she sets to work trying to finding out what is the problem in the marriage she seeks to celebrate.

There’s an interval after this scene and we should say that we have a terrific view of the stage from the middle of row 4 and the excitable audience is behaving in that very American way of applauding and cheering as the stars of this show enter the stage.

Things get far funnier in the second act in the 1968-set Visitor From Hollywood as Austin Powers-dressed Broderick plays successful film producer Jesse Kiplinger as he invites the ex-girlfriend he hasn’t seen for 17 years to meet up in his hotel room as Parker gives us suburban housewife Muriel Tate who’s hitting the vodka stingers and not quite sure what she wants.

Finally, 1969’s Visitor From Forest Hills is the funniest of the 3 as Broderick’s father-of-the-bride Roy Hubley climbs out onto the ledge of the 7th floor apartment in an attempt to coax daughter Mimsy out of the bathroom she’s locked herself into as Parker’s brassy Norma ponders why she’s behaving that way as wedding guests start to wonder what’s going on elsewhere in the hotel.

There’s real emotional depth to the 1st scene while the enthusiastic audience laughs came easily in the remaining 2 as the naturally funnier Broderick allowed Parker to out-goof him in the more stretching roles she was playing and we had an absolute ball.

You’ll come away from this thinking that this is the perfect vehicle for a real life husband and wife to show the understanding required to play and convince as a couple who have been together for so long.

For us it was Parker’s West End debut which absolutely stole the show but it was thanks to Broderick’s understated playfulness that set her up brilliantly for a triumphant production of a show that will make you think but then make you laugh – and laugh – and laugh again.

• Main picture via Facebook courtesy ATG
• Have you seen Plaza Suite before and are what did you think of this production? Tickets
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