by Shawn Parikh

Get to see the Broadway hit musical by Neil Simon, Hamlisch and Zippel for a lower price this week.

Theatre Three is continuing their season of shows having to deal with movies, by previewing The Goodbye Girl from December 13-16. The show will then officially run from December 17 - January 20. Because they are previews, tickets are a little bit cheaper, but make sure to watch out for the Wallet Watcher performance (January 13) and Hooky Matinee (January 16) that only cost $10.

First, Neil Simon wrote The Goodbye Girl (the movie) as a Valentine gift to his actress wife, Marsha Mason. Then Hamlisch and Zippel worked with him to turn his film script into a smash Broadway hit musical. This gifted trio of contemporary theatre giants created a RARE thing these days, a delightfully funny and romantic musical theatre piece.

Paula McFadden is a dancer struggling to make ends meet and raise her precocious daughter, Lucy, on her own. After the actor she lives with dumps her for a film role, Paula decides she is finished with love (and actors) and starts trying to find dancing work. Late one night, there’s a knock at her door. It’s Elliot, another actor hoping to make it big in New York City, and he gives Paula some very bad news: her ex-boyfriend has subleased the apartment to him. Paula and Lucy can continue to live in the apartment with him, but only if they agree to live by his rules. Paula and Elliot agree to an uneasy truce when a surprising romantic relationship develops.

Bruce R. Coleman directs the production, and the cast includes Claire Fowler as Melanie, Lisa-Gabrielle Greene as Paula McFadden, Lindsey Kay as Cynthia, Natalie King as Mrs. Crosby, Gregory Lush as Elliot Garfield, Darius-Anthony Robinson as Billy and Ricky Simpson, Lucia Welch as Donna, and Bruce R. Coleman as Mark. The ensemble includes John Biggan, Josh Blann, Tandi Brame, Tracie Foster, Carlos Gomez, and Teresa Valenza. Ruby Westfall, Lisa-Gabrielle Greene’s daughter, plays Lucy McFadden, Paula McFadden’s daughter.

The original 1977 film was nominated for Best Picture and Leading Actress, and even won Richard Dreyfuss an Academy Award for Leading Actor. Here is a short clip from the original movie:

What do you think?