By D. A. Blackburn
The University of Detroit Mercy's Theatre Company opened its 2008-2009 season Sept. 26 with a production with all the right elements – a strong, well known script, two of the area's most accomplished actors and a great set. But the show never finds its way into the light.
Neil Simon's "The Sunshine Boys," best known for its 1975 appearance on the big screen, is the tale of a washed up Vaudeville duo who reunite for a variety show appearance after 11 years without speaking. They are the original grumpy old men: bitter, resentful and ready to bicker over the slightest detail.
In Arthur J. Beer (Willie Clark) and David Regal (Al Lewis), the company has cast a perfect pair of curmudgeons. Both, seasoned thespians, are perfectly at ease in their roles, performing together with chemistry. Likewise, Joel Frazee gives a good showing as Willie's nephew Ben, but the rest of the cast (all much smaller roles) is lackluster. The theatrical maturity and experience of Beer and Regal made forced, unenergetic performances on the periphery all the more apparent.
The cumulative effect makes Simon's script feel stagnant, and the two acts plod along like an elderly man with a walker. The work's significant humor still shines through, but much of the time, the production seems to be searching for its own pulse.
The Theatre Company has done a fine job with sets, costumes and properties, making for an attractive production, if not an altogether engaging one. Lighting and sound designs are purely functional, but executed without flaw.
Sadly, this production of "The Sunshine Boys" is a mediocre showing of a work that should be quite fun. It could be a perfect vehicle for Beer and Regal, but the show needs a serious injection of energy to earn big laughs.
REVIEW:
'The Sunshine Boys'
The University of Detroit Mercy's Theatre Company at Marygrove Theatre, 8425 W. McNichols Rd., Detroit. Fri.-Sun. through Oct. 12. Tickets: $15. For information: 313-993-3270 or http://theatre.udmercy.edu.
