Rose Steiner needs to write another best-seller to stay out of the poor house. But she has been suffering from writer’s block ever since her lover Walsh McLaren, also a famous author, passed away five years ago. To cope with her loss, Rose imagines that Walsh visits and talks to her every night. She even has passionate, noisy sex with him—to the great embarrassment of her daughter who lives with Rose. Now, Walsh says, it is time for him to leave her forever. But, before he goes, he wants to secure Rose’s financial future. He suggests (or is this Rose’s imagination?) that she complete the writing of his last unfinished novel with the help of a young writer living nearby. Rose’s daughter also tries to help but complicates the situation by falling in love with the charming young man. This sensitive and witty play is Neil Simon’s most recent Broadway hit.
