Sorry to hear the news that Neil Simon has died although if you had asked me I would have assumed that it had occurred some years ago. However, he reached the age of 91 and I suspect he was chuckling for most of the time! As many of you know, because I never lose a chance to remind you of my, er, less than distinguished theatrical career, I once had the very real pleasure of playing the role of Barney Cashman in Last of the Red Hot Lovers. The Wiki summary of the play sums it up beautifully:
Barney Cashman, a middle-aged, married 'nebbish' [an incompetent prat!] wants to join the sexual revolution before it is too late. A gentle soul with no experience in adultery, he fails in each of three seductions.
And yes, you're right, I was a perfect example of type-casting! My main difficulty with the role, apart from the fact that I was on stage all of the time, was my inability to suppress my own giggles at so many of the gags. Neil Simon was truly a very, very funny man.
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