Playwright Neil Simon has raided and reconstructed his own material to come up with Hotel Suite, a new production which will premiere at Philadelphia's Walnut Street Theatre Jan. 12, 1999. The play, as first reported in Theatrical Index, is composed of four scenes collected from Simon's Plaza Suite (1968), California Suite (1976) and London Suite (1995).

Simon came up with the idea for the evening a couple years ago, according to Walnut Street publicist Maria Sticco. The dramatist planned to stage it in London, but gave up on the project when he "couldn't cast it" properly. A version was presented at the 1997 Chichester Festival.

Hotel Suite1s four scenes, are, in order: Visitors from London from California Suite, about an Oscar-nominated, English actress and her husband; Visitor from Philadelphia, also from California Suite, about a couple from Phily, one of whom wakes up with a stranger; Diana and Sydney from London Suite, a second look at the English couple of the first scene; and Visitor from Mamaroneck from Plaza Suite, about a bride with pre-wedding jitters.

Charles Abbott will direct the show, which will fill the third slot in the Walnut Street's 1998-99 season. No casting has been announced. The show will open Jan. 20 and run through Feb. 8.

For now, there are no New York plans for the production. "I think [Neil Simon] believes other regional theatres will want to do it because he thinks it's a great combination," said Sticco. "But he didn't talk about New York." -- By Robert Simonson