Neil Simon is undoubtedly one of the greatest American playwrights of the twentieth century. He brought his unique personality and opinions into his works. His plays have not only graced Broadway, but many have made it to the screen as well. Simon uses personal connections in portraying characters familiar to the audience. Simon once said in an interview with Glenn Loney: “Certain types of critics will always despise comedy. To them it seems easy or doesn't have enough substance” (Konas 212). Neil Simon is criticized for the lack of substance in his works. Yet his works are true dramatizations of his life, or the lives of those he knows best, using buffoonish comedy to create substance while maintaining a lighthearted atmosphere. Buffoonish comedy is defined as comedy that evokes laughter due to the degree of absurdity. . It is used to convey dense ideas while preventing the audience from feeling exhausted. It is important to keep an audience captive and so buffoonish comedy allows for a light airiness while still conveying difficult ideas. MELUS, a theater magazine that comes out every two years, published an article about Neil Simon focusing on his religion and how it played a role in his writing. Walden said it best: “For Simon the ideal comedy is one in which the audience laughs all night but in the last minutes is touched by a sense of tragedy” (MELUS 81). In all of Simon's works the audience is fascinated by laughter but is touched by reality. Neil Simon uses buffoonish comedy with contrasting characters. Create excessive dramatizations so that the subtleties of the character emerge. This stark contrast of characters brings attention to their behavior which can be at worst, reckless and ex… the paper eater has let them down. Simon presents a new alternative to the predictable. It presents a reality that can be laughed at because it is removed. Yet his comedy pushes the audience to look inside themselves. As Taylor says, “Only in that Age of Reason, the doctoral thesis, does that minor playwright seem to shine” (Taylor 46). Simon uses what he knows to shape what he portrays. His critics might argue that he lacks backbone, yet he provides his audience with enough support to fill all their personal gaps. It offers ample opportunities for its audiences and critics to insert themselves into the scenario. All he asks is for the audience to give him some of their time so he can make it better. It allows a not literal but figurative escape from the stresses of life into its beautiful subtleties.