Theater Review—

Whether A Fan Of Simon Or DCT, ‘Sunshine Boys’ Is Worth The Trip

By Julie Stern

BRIDGEPORT — For those readers who don’t know this, Bridgeport’s Downtown Cabaret Theater is in trouble. The company that has thrilled and delighted audiences for over 25 years with its rousing musical productions has had its funding stripped away, forcing the cancellation of the 2005 season.

The company is so highly regarded by its colleagues in the professional entertainment world, however, that two other groups have stepped forward to offer their own productions to serve as fundraisers, while keeping the Cabaret doors open at the same time.

Thus, from August 10 through September 18, Villa Roma Productions is presenting its rendition of Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys, which will be followed immediately by a four week run of Dan Goggin’s Nunsensations! The Nunsense Vegas Revue. Using these two shows as a springboard, DCT has high hopes to raise enough money to launch a show of their own in early 2006, and then go on to a full schedule for 2006-07.

Clearly, The Sunshine Boys is not typical DCT fare. After all, it’s not a musical. It’s an early Neil Simon tribute to vaudeville, in its story of two cantankerous old coots who were once a successful comedy team but who never did like each other very much.

But while it has no music whatsoever, save for the canned fanfare that introduced television acts back in 1972, it does have all the polished perfection that DCT is known for including the lighting, costumes, hair styles, lighting, and especially Richard Ellis’ lovingly detailed set of a seedy midtown hotelroom.

The premise of the play is that 11 years after the comic team of Al Lewis and Willy Clark folded forever, CBS has invited them to appear as part of a one-night comedy special.

Ben Silverman, Clark’s earnest young nephew (and a Broadway theatrical agent), is trying to facilitate this by convincing his uncle to reconcile with the partner he hasn’t spoken to since their act broke up in 1961. For one night, he pleads, they should cooperate and do a repeat of their most famous skit, “The Doctor.”

The play is a vehicle for Martin Passsante in the part of Willy Clark. Crabby, recalcitrant and fighting a losing battle against age, obsolescence and senility, Willy isn’t having any part of it… until Al’s daughter drives him over from New Jersey and deposits him on Willy’s doorstep.

Mr Passante is a frowsy, dilapidated, blustering lion in the role, faking what he can’t remember, using his face and body language to keep the audience attention riveted on him.

In contrast, David Rogers’ Al Lewis is a dapper, nervous, anxious ferret who seems to have a better handle on things until it gets down to the crunch.

Richard Bell, as the well-meaning but long-suffering Ben, and Lyn Philistine and Diane Findlay as a pair of nurses — one theatrical, the other real — round out the cast with professional skill. The whole thing is vintage Simon, and there were peals of laughter from the audience, beginning with the opening curtain.

If you like Neil Simon, or if you just want to do your bit to keep this wonderful institution (DCT) afloat, it’s definitely worth a trip down to Bridgeport. But hurry!

(Performances of The Sunshine Boys continue until September 18 on Friday and Saturday evenings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons. There are no performances scheduled for Labor Day weekend.

Nunsensations will then run on a similar schedule September 23 to October 16.

Call Downtown Cabaret Theater, 263 Golden Hill Street in Bridgeport, at 203-576-1636 for full schedule details.)