Writing Iconic Comedy

Several of Neil Simon’s plays were influenced by real life events. Chapter Two and his trilogy of stories starring Eugene (Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues and Broadway Bound) took inspiration from important periods of the writer’s career and personal struggles.

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Yasmina Reza Is No Albee, But That Doesn’t Stop NVA’s Excellent ‘Carnage’

Playwright Yasmina Reza says we’re all kids at heart — and that’s not necessarily a compliment. Witness her ‘God of Carnage,’ the very good current mount at Carlsbad’s New Village Arts, and the abject childishness that so-called adults trot out when the veneers they’ve worked so hard to build are threatened. Indeed, the sins of the children are visited on those over 21.

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