This past Saturday, I saw Neil Simon's new play, "Proposals". (It's in previews on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre, and it's scheduled to open there this Thursday, Nov. 6.) I like to thumb through the Playbill before the curtain and check out the backgrounds of the people involved. I came across one Suzanne Cryer, who plays the part of Josie Hines in "Proposals" and is better-known to Seinfeldians as the "yada yada" girl. For those "Seinfeld" fans who must know absolutely everything about everyone who has appeared on the TV show, here's her curriculum vitae, as it appears in Playbill:
"SUZANNE CRYER (Josie Hines) recently originated the role of Lisa in Donald Margolies' 'Collected Stories' at South Coast Repertory and appeared as Chloe in the West Coast premiere of 'Arcadia' at the Mark Taper Forum. Other theatre credits include 'The Rivals' at Hartford Stage, 'Don Juan' at Baltimore Center Stage, 'Twelfth Night' at Yale Repertory Theatre, 'As You Like It' and 'Richard III' at Utah Shakespearean Festival, 'A Flea in Her Ear' at Dallas Theatre Center and 'Annie Get Your Gun' at the Westchester Broadway Theatre. Film credits include Barry Levinson's 'Wag the Dog' by David Mamet, Andrew Niccol's 'Eighth Day', 'My Mother Dreams of Hell's Angels', George Hickenlooper's 'Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade' and 'Renata of Wilbur Falls' with Danny Aiello. TV credits include: the yada-yada girl on 'Seinfeld', 'Caroline in the City', 'Dave's World', 'Law & Order', 'New York News' and HBO's Lifestories' 'Someone Had to be Benny'. Suzanne received her M.F.A. from Yale Drama School."
If you're wondering why she didn't list the great artistic achievement of being the "yada yada" girl before listing her roles in plays by that Shakespeare guy, here's the reason: There's a time-honored custom among actors to list stage roles first, followed by parts in films, followed by TV appearances --- in other words, high culture first, followed by successively lower forms of culture.
Ms. Cryer's performance was, IMHO, adequate but not outstanding. This was mitigated by the fact that, in the opening scene, she showed off some of her better physical attributes by wearing a pair of short shorts. :-) (I, being seated in the third row, was in a position to judge.)
Overall, the play was a pretty good Neil Simon effort, although it's not as out-and-out funny as some of his classics. "Proposals" is a play about relationships, and at times it shows Neil Simon to have mellowed and matured with age, although he still occasionally reaches for the cheap laugh. The play appears to be semi-autobiographical, and Ms. Cryer's part appears to be based loosely on Mr. Simon's first wife.
---Alvin H. Nichter