Neil Simon on Critics

“Walter Kerr gave me one of the best pieces of criticism I’ve ever had. In the first line of his review of The Star-Spangled Girl, he said, ‘Neil simon didn’t have an idea for a play this year, but he wrote one anyway.’ That was exactly what had happened. Elliot Norton was helpful to me in Boston with The Odd Couple. His title of the opening review was, ‘Oh for a Third Act.’ He wasn’t going to waste his time telling everyone how good the first two acts were. His job, he felt, was to make me make the third act better. And his suggestion to me was to bring back the Pigeon sisters. I said, ‘Good idea.’ Brought back the Pigeon sisters, and the play worked. More important than the reviews, it’s the audience that tells you whether or not you’ve succeeded.”
Neil Simon
Playwrights at Work