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UDM Theatre Company in the sunshine again

By By Taras Berezowsky

On a sunny afternoon, off a narrow basement corridor at the heart of University of Detroit Mercy's Theatre Department, Arthur Beer – mug in hand, glasses balanced on his nose – studies a script in his office. Just a door down, David Regal, Beer's academic cohort, flips through a newspaper on his break between classes. All is calm between the two professors. No sign of a fracas, not a trace of bad blood. The pair appears to be blissfully enjoying its quiet time. More likely, however, they're storing up their contentious energy for the stage, saving the kvetching for the rehearsal room as they prepare for The Theatre Company's Sept. 26 opening of Neil Simon's "The Sunshine Boys."
Sharing the stage for the first time in over 25 years, Regal and Beer play Al Lewis and Willy Clark in Simon's 1972 homage to vaudeville and the art of argument. Known in their heyday as Lewis and Clark, the duo hasn't spoken to each other in over a decade (during the final year of their act, they refused to speak offstage entirely) but are grudgingly coaxed out of retirement by CBS for a TV special on the history of comedy. With their constant quibbling threatening to jeopardize their famed act on the air, hilarity naturally ensues.
Regal and Beer, more prone to good-natured sympathizing, similarly share a long history. Both graduates of Wayne State University's graduate-level Hilberry Theatre program, they met at a summer stock company near Flint before continuing to work throughout the country. "I eventually came [to UDM] as a guest artist, ended up running the place, then hired Arthur in 1975 and we've been miserable ever since," Regal recalls, tongue-firmly-in-cheek. As the artistic director of The Theatre Company, Regal strives to create a professional, conservatory-level environment for theatre students by maintaining a slate of diverse productions every season.
Guest artists, like "The Sunshine Boys'" director Andrew Huff, are brought into the program, filling out the artistic ensembles. "That's why our kids do so well in show business," Beer explains. "They're already used to working with professionals."
Yet a positive balance within The Theatre Company is not always easy to attain. While both men cultivate their own acting careers, they constantly juggle administrative responsibilities. Beer runs the Classic Theatre Study Abroad Program in Greece every summer, and until recently, Regal split time between his duties at UDM and serving as artistic director of Meadow Brook Theatre. "I almost died doing both," Regal admits, and it showed. The Theatre Company's audiences dropped sharply, but "The Sunshine Boys" aims to make the most of the duo's local reputation. "We're in revival mode," Regal said. "With our names being the draw in the first play of the season, it might get people interested in seeing our plays again."
So are they ready to take on these curmudgeonly characters at this point in their careers?
"I love playing grumpy old men," Beer offers without hesitation. "The audience likes you even though you're smart-alecky and snotty."
Regal counters that he plays the "sensitive victim who takes the abuse."
"Yeah, right," Beer snorts, rolling his eyes, then, as if on cue, he accidentally overfills his mug, and with soda fizz gushing over the side, he tries in vain to suck up the overflowing liquid while Regal rescues the papers on his desk. Watching these guys, it's clear that they're just now reaching their prime. With "The Sunshine Boys" rekindling Regal and Beer's collaborative spirit, slapstick is safe with them for at least 25 more years.

PREVIEW:
'The Sunshine Boys'
The Theatre Company of University of Detroit Mercy, Marygrove Theatre, 8425 W. McNichols Rd., Detroit. Sep. 26 – Oct. 12. Tickets: $15. For information: 313-993-3270 or http://theatre.udmercy.edu

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