Neil Simon Endorses Mayor Bloomberg 9/13 At The Nederlander Theatre

Sunday morning, September 13th, Mayor Bloomberg received the endorsement of playwright Neil Simon in front of the Nederlander Theatre, where The Neil Simon Plays are set to open this fall. The Neil Simon Plays are all new productions of Simon's hit plays Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound, directed by David Cromer and starring Laurie Metcalf.

A native New Yorker, Neil Simon has been represented by more than 30 plays and musicals on Broadway. He has received more Academy and Tony Award nominations than any other writer, and he is the only playwright to have had four Broadway productions running simultaneously. The Odd Couple, Biloxi Blues and Lost in Yonkers garnered him Tony Awards for Best Play. Lost in Yonkers also received the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

In his comments at yesterday's public ceremony endorsing the Mayor for re-election, Simon stated, "I don't think there's ever been a greater Mayor than Michael Bloomberg. That's not a plug -- that's an observation. The Mayor has made this a better city for my family and everyone's family...He keeps this city going better than anyone has ever done before, and I watch him do it. Thank goodness for Mayor Bloomberg."

Mayor Bloomberg then took the podium and added, "Broadway is such a big part of what makes New York the greatest City in the world, and Neil Simon is such a big part of what makes Broadway the greatest stage in the world. Neil is a lifelong New Yorker who loves this City, and he cares about its future. Like so many New Yorkers, he had the drive to work hard and the guts to follow his dreams."

Brighton Beach Memoirs will begin performances at the Nederlander Theatre on October 2nd. For more information about The Neil Simon Plays, visit www.TheNeilSimonPlays.com.