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Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys is the story of two veterans of vaudeville, Lewis and Clark. Simon's script focuses on their relationship in a nostalgic look at an out-of-date style of comedy and also serves as a tribute to vaudeville itself.  New Theatre Restaurant's production is an endearing and reflective performance [which runs through November 7], though not as riotous or as caustic as the setup seems.

This is a play about comedy and relationships. Lewis and Clark are connected by an adamant respect for the serious craft of comedy.  Though they had a successful 43 year career, they haven't spoken to each other for over a decade after the bitter dissolution of their act.  Approached for a command performance to be part of a televised "history of comedy," neither can get over the issues that had ruined their partnership.  After a considerable amount of convincing, they agree to meet and rehearse for the show. 

Howard Hesseman plays Willie Clark, an elder statesman of comedy who is suffering from slow decay brought on by feelings of betrayal by his partner, show business, and the city he loves.  He's crotchety, hard of hearing, competitive at every turn, often confused, yet still quick-witted and oddly engaging.  Hesseman conveys Willie with sympathetic humor, capturing his angst and frustration, his unwillingness to admit that the industry he dearly loves has no place for him, and his devotion to the art of comedy. 

Willie has a grudging dependence on his nephew/agent Ben Silverman, played by Craig Benton.  Ben is Willie's only close relative, caring yet aggravated, the unwitting straight man in his uncle's on-going skit.  Benton's performance is absolutely true to type—a dedicated, responsible, likable guy patiently trying to care for a persnickety old man who does not ask or want his assistance.  His development as caregiver/abettor is the largest character shift in the performance and he plays it with a subtle finesse.

F. William Parker plays the estranged partner Al Lewis. The character is as equally stubborn as Willie, just as dependant on relatives, yet seemingly more at peace with life.  He is the more honest of the two, willing to admit that what they had is finished but for this one opportunity. He hasn't lost his zip either and Parker plays him with a dry, deadpan style.

The rehearsal for the big TV moment should have been when the actors really shone.  It's supposed to be a culminating moment, an instinctive recreation of their 43 years as an act, but it doesn't quite work.  Vaudeville acts are well oiled machines; the dialogue needed to be snappier and the action faster to reinforce the contrast from the "rehearsed" lines to the "real" lines.

In contrast, the scenes in Willie's apartment are genuinely funny.  The conversation and coordination over tea is brilliant, the "staging" of their props is clockwork, and the bit with Willie's constant confusion over his great niece and nephew's names is hilarious. Also, the dissimilarity between the sexy nurse during the skit, played by Heidi Van, and the patient yet sharp tongued registered nurse, played by Pat Boyle, further extend the vaudevillian themes in Willie's life.

New Theatre's production value is very high.  The intricate set for Willie's apartment is an old-fashioned bedsit in a decrepit hotel cluttered with photos, memorabilia and old furniture, instantly defining Willie's character.  From my vantage point some of the scenery blocked the action around the front door.  However, this seemed to heighten the humor of Willie's ongoing frustration with his front door lock. The costuming is subtle and telling of their personalities; Willie's suit-jacket-and-pajamas look is charmingly sloppy, especially contrasted to Lewis' fastidious appearance. The incidental music is well chosen and the audio cues during the slapstick scene are fitting, though, like the action and dialogue, could have been paced quicker.  The only technical issue that really bothered me was that some of the microphones were boomy during the first act.

As the final scene fades on Lewis and Clark arguing and reminiscing, I realize there is little growth in the characters, nor a real resolution to the story, but that isn't the point.  While the show is humorous, it's also sad.  We all know people who haven't given up, are still vibrant, entertaining, and full of spunk, but society has sidelined them, found them redundant and moved on.  Simon wrote an elegy to a style of comedy and the people who devote their lives to it and this production captures that pathos.

REVIEW
New Theatre Restaurant
The Sunshine Boys
Runs through November 7 (Reviewed September 10)
9229 Foster Overland Park, KC
For tickets call 913-649-SHOW or visit www.newtheatre.com

Cover Photo: Howard Hesseman

By Libby Hanssen

Traditional and New Classical, Theatre Contributor

Libby Hanssen holds degrees from University of Missouri-Kansas City (M.M.) and Ball State University (B.M.) in trombone performance and also studied music education at Indiana University. She has studied trombone with Carl Lenthe, JoDee Davis, John Seidel, John Huntoon and Denis Wick, and music education with Brent Gault, Estelle Jorgensen and Katherine Strand.

While at IU, she taught classes in general music, focusing on listening skills and music fundamentals through practical music usage and exploring new sound constructions. During the course of her studies at UMKC, she performed with many ensembles, including the Conservatory Orchestra and Musica Nova. She has also performed with the Kansas City Puccini Festival, the People's Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City, the New Jazz Order, the Indiana Wind Symphony and the Muncie Symphony Orchestra.

In 2010, she was a fellow (one of 23 journalists selected from across the US) for the seventh annual National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Arts Journalism Institute in Classical Music and Opera at Columbia University’s Journalism School in New York City.

Most of her free time is spent with her three boys (son, dog and husband) and camera, exploring the many fine aspects of Kansas City living. She enjoys listening to KKFI - Kansas City Community Radio and KCUR - Kansas City's NPR station, visiting Kansas City's fine collection of museums and galleries, and scavenging in thrift and antique stores to add to her collection of toy instruments.

She writes for the joy of words and the process of constructing a story, maintaining the blog Proust Eats a Sandwich (www.prousteatsasandwich.wordpress.com). She is working on her first book: Murray Goes to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.