Neil Simon's new play is a dud, one that resembles a bad translation of an equally bad French drawing-room comedy by Marivaux or Feydeau. The setup we are asked to believe is that three divorced couples have been invited to partake of a mystery dinner in the private dining room of a swank Parisian restaurant. The six men and women arrive separately and are shocked to come face to face with their respective ex-spouses. The mastermind behind this contrived scenario is an elegant countess (Frances Conroy) who wants to know whether it is possible for ex-lovers to overcome their antipathy toward each other and team up as partners again. She does this by asking each person in the room, like a pedantic marriage counselor, to list the things that once attracted them to their partners. There is also a lot of venting of old peeves and grudges, which is where the humor comes in. Henry Winkler and John Ritter, as wealthy Frenchmen with big marital chips on their shoulders, have the best (i.e., most vicious) wisecracks, but Veanne Cox as Winkler's ditzy ex goes way over the top to make her character funny. Anette Michelle Sanders, John Boyle (subbing for Edward Herrmann) and Conroy are more pallidly drawn but handle themselves admirably.
Simon undercuts whatever laughter he has stirred up by getting awfully dull and earnest about marriage as the intermissionless play goes on. Why do clowns always want to make us cry?
