Neil Simon Play Waiting for Poppa to Premiere in Florida in Late Fall

A new Neil Simon comedy is on its way to a Florida premiere. The autobiography-tinged Waiting for Poppa will run at Miami's Coconut Grove Playhouse from November 24th through December 10th and at Fort Lauderdale's Parker Playhouse fron December 13th through 17th.

Richard Benjamin--who appeared on Broadway in Simon's The Star-Spangled Girl, on screen in the playwright's The Sunshine Boys, and directed the TV movie version of "Laughter on the 23rd Floor"--will helm the production.

According to Coconut Grove notes, Waiting for Poppa finds Simon "once again harking back to the family well to present another important work based on his nostalgic memories as a young boy growing up in a middle-class Jewish family."

Simon is a prolific three-time Tony Award-winner whose other plays include The Dinner Party, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, Lost in Yonkers, Rumors, Broadway Bound (which capped off his autobiographical trilogy that also included Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues), Chapter Two, California Suite, Plaza Suite, Last of the Red Hot Lovers and The Star-Spangled Girl. He has penned the books for musicals such as Sweet Charity, Little Me, They're Playing Our Song and The Goodbye Girl, which was based on his hit film.

The Coconut Grove will also present Souvenir, Wrong Turn at Lungfish, The Fourposter, Burning Desire, Talley's Folly, The Duchess of Chutzpah and Enchanted April during its 2006-2007 season.

For more information, call (305) 442-4000, or visit www.cgplayhouse.com.