THE SUNSHINE BOYS by Neil Simon

 

The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon

We made a Grand Living group trip to see Neil Simon’s 1972 The Sunshine Boys last week at the TKM Theatre in the Amana Colonies.  The play is essentially a two-hander with some minor supporting roles. Willie and Ben are two one-time vaudeville headliners, who haven’t spoken to each other in ten years. They get recruited to do a reprise of their old act for a TV commemoration of the entertainment of the past and as a result the buried animosities that contributed to their breakup, are opened up. The middle parts of the show could use some cutting and the humor definitely shows its age occasionally. For instance, the duo’s signature doctor skit depends on sexual jokes based on a skimpily clad and well-endowed nurse. The women’s movement has made those leering wisecracks a bit politically incorrect now. Also problematic, perhaps just for me, was the dependence on memory-loss jokes throughout the script. I currently live in a senior community, and cognitive decline isn’t quite as funny to me now as it used to be. On the other hand, the audience, which almost all senior citizens, did react with gusto. enjoyment mode.  

Tom Milligan, the current TKM producer, played Willie Clark and kept the irascible pajama-clad old performer beautifully alive with his constant pent-up rage. Adam Burnham handled the impeccably dressed Ben Silverman with aplomb. Lisa Margolin, playing the registered nurse who tends to Willie after his health crisis, provided a funny contrast to the comic nurse from the boy’s old act. Deb Kennedy, Tom Milligan's wife, provided the capable direction. 

“Acting isn’t pretending: it’s finding truth in someone else’s story.” As I noted above, I thought the play makes a bit too much fun of the beginnings of Alzheimers, but as we neared the end, the actors did sell the idea that in spite of deep differences, positive connections can still occur.   

I do regret that the theatre itself echoed some of the sadness buried in the script. The seats sag, a water fountain in the lobby was out of order, and there were cobwebs on the front of house lighting bridge. I had to ask the house manager to clear walkers from in front of an emergency exit. I know the show is set in a rundown New York city hotel room, but that should be depicted in the stage setting and not the theatre building. I hope and pray that the company’s tenure is not on the ropes since live theatre is still my first love and seeing it at the Amana Theatre has been one of the highlights of our Cedar Rapids life.

Production is 4 out of 5 and well worth while.