There was no more gloomy Bloomy yesterday when Neil Simon, who has penned more wildly successful comedies than Aristophanes on methamphetamine, endorsed Michael Bloomberg for his 49th term as life-mayor of New York City.
You can read the full text of the endorsement — which, curiously, does include a satyr play — on Bloomberg’s website.
But here for all you proletarians is an excerpt from the endorsement.
By the way, Neil Simon is not the first playwright to have had four Broadway productions running at once. To quote Rep. Joe Wilson, “You lie!” That was first achieved by, yes, Clyde Fitch. That’s no joke. Anyway:
Today, Mayor Bloomberg received the endorsement of Neil Simon, Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning playwright. The endorsement took place in front of the Nederlander Theater where Mr. Simon’s revivals of Brighton Beach Memoirs and Broadway Bound will open in October. A native New Yorker, Mr. Simon has written over 30 plays that have been featured 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. The Museum of the City of New York recently named Mr. Simon as one of its picks for the 400 most notable movers and shakers since the City’s founding in 1609.
“Born in the Bronx and raised in Washington Heights, I have seen many Mayors come and go, but Mike Bloomberg is a different kind of Mayor,” said Mr. Simon. “His love for this city is evident. Every day I see him working to make this city a better place to live. Whether by keeping our streets safe and clean or keeping the City running in this tough economy, Mike has fought hard to see that New York City moves forward and remains the greatest city on earth. From a Broadway standpoint, Mike has brought record numbers of tourists to our city and has helped keep us in business. I gladly endorse Mike for re-election and can’t wait for another four years of his pragmatic leadership of the city.”
….”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,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “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. New York has always been a city of opportunity and we’re working hard to expand opportunities for New Yorkers in all five boroughs through these difficult times.”…
