The Sunshine Boys

The Sunshine Boys
Original Broadway poster
Written by Neil Simon
Date premiered December 18, 1972
Original language English
Genre Comedy

The Sunshine Boys is a play by Neil Simon that was produced on Broadway in 1972 and later adapted for film and television.

Plot

The play's protagonists are Al Lewis and Willie Clark. Lewis and Clark were once a successful vaudevillian comedy duo known as the Sunshine Boys. During the later years of their 43-year run, animosity between the partners grew to the point where they ceased to speak with each other. Eleven years prior to the events of the play, Al retired from show business, leaving Willie struggling to keep his career afloat.

Willie, now an old man struggling with memory loss, reluctantly accepts an offer from his nephew Ben, a talent agent, to reunite with Al for a CBS special on the history of comedy. Willie and Al meet in Willie's apartment to rehearse their classic doctor and tax collector sketch. The reunion gets off to a bad start, with the two getting into heated arguments over various aspects of the performance. However, thanks to the urging of Al's daughter, the two decide to go through with the performance.

Willie and Al's dress rehearsal at CBS' studio ends badly. Willie is enraged when Al repeats his old habits of poking his chest and accidentally spitting on his face. As Al walks off the stage in regret, Willie has a heart attack as a result of his agitated state.

Two weeks later, Willie is recovering under the care of a nurse. Upon Ben's recommendation, he decides to move into an actors' retirement home in New Jersey. Al, concerned about Willie's well-being, makes a visit. When the two talk, it is revealed that Al will be moving into the same home as Willie.

Neil Simon was inspired by two venerable vaudeville teams. The longevity of "Lewis and Clark" was inspired by Smith and Dale who, unlike their theatrical counterparts, were inseparable lifelong friends. The undercurrent of backstage hostility between "Lewis and Clark" was inspired by the team of Gallagher and Shean, who were successful professionally but argumentative personally.[1] Other sources say this is based on Weber and Fields.[2]

Theatre productions

The Sunshine Boys premiered on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre on December 20, 1972, and transferred to the Shubert Theatre and then the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, closing on April 21, 1974, after 538 performances. Produced by Emanuel Azenberg and directed by Alan Arkin, the original cast featured Sam Levene as Lewis, Jack Albertson as Clark, and Lewis J. Stadlen as Ben.[3] Replacements later in the run included Lou Jacobi as Lewis and Jack Gilford as Clark.

Tony Award nominations went to Simon (Best Play), Albertson (Best Actor in a Play) and Arkin (Best Direction of a Play),[4] and Albertson won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance (and was nominated for a Tony as well).[5]

The play was revived on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre, opening on December 8, 1997 and closing on June 28, 1998 after 230 performances. Directed by John Tillinger, the cast starred Jack Klugman as Willie Clark and Tony Randall as Al Lewis.[3][6]

A West End production of the play, starring Danny DeVito (in his West End debut)[7]) and Richard Griffiths, opened on 17 May 2012 and played a limited 12-week season until 28 July.[8][9]

The blog A Cultured Lad gave it a full five-star rating, adding, "Productions like this don’t come often. This show glitters, like fireworks on the fourth of July. Absolutely wonderful." Theatre critic Charles Spencer also gave the show a positive review, with a four star rating and said that "Thea Sharrock directs a pitch-perfect production that beautifully captures fleeting moments of tenderness in the comedy without ever turning mushy." The production was scheduled for a run in Los Angeles, but Griffiths' untimely passing delayed it. DeVito's former Taxi co-star Judd Hirsch stepped into the role of Lewis, and the show opened September 24, 2013 at the Ahmanson Theatre.

West End cast

  • Danny DeVito – Willie Clark
  • Richard Griffiths – Al Lewis
  • Adam Levy – Ben Silverman
  • William Maxwell – Patient & Understudy Willie
  • Peter Cadden – Voice of TV Director & Understudy Al and Patient
  • Nick Blakeley – Eddie & Understudy Ben
  • Rebbeca Blackstone – Miss MacKintosh
  • Johnnie Fiori – Registered Nurse
  • Oliver Stoney – Understudy Eddie & TV Director
  • Clementine Marlowe-Hunt – Miss MacKintosh & Registered Nurse[10][11]

Adaptations

American versions

The 1975 feature film 
Stars George Burns as Lewis and Walter Matthau as Clark. Burns won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance.
1977 TV pilot 
Stars Lionel Stander as Lewis and Red Buttons as Clark. The pilot was not picked up for a series, but was broadcast by NBC on June 9, 1977.[12]
The 1996 TV movie 
Stars Woody Allen as Lewis and Peter Falk as Clark. Neil Simon adapted his play for Hallmark Entertainment. Directed by John Erman, it was not broadcast until December 28, 1997. Other performers include Michael McKean, Liev Schreiber, Edie Falco, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Whoopi Goldberg in supporting roles.[13] Simon's teleplay updated the setting and made the two comedians the product of the early days of television, the medium in which the playwright got his start.[13] Unlike the film adaptation, although they are portrayed as cantankerous, their animosity was not as severe as Matthau's and Burns' characters' bad relationship.

German versions

There have been three German television versions of The Sunshine Boys, all entitled Sonny Boys.

The 1982 adaptation 
Stars Carl-Heinz Schroth and Johannes Heesters
The 1995 version 
Features Harald Juhnke and Wolfgang Spier
The 2001 version 
Features Werner Schneyder and Dieter Hildebrandt

Dutch version

A Dutch stage adaptation ran in 2015–2016, starring Kees Hulst and comedian Andre van Duin.

References

  1. ↑ Stewart, Donald Travis (November 16, 2005). No Applause – Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous. Faber & Faber. p. 235. ISBN 978-0-86547-958-6.
  2. ↑ Nolan, Frederick (October 27, 1994). Lorenz Hart: A Poet on Broadway. Oxford University Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-19-506837-5.
  3. 1 2 "The Sunshine Boys". IBDB.com. Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
  4. ↑ Calta, Lewis (March 13, 1973). "British and 2 American Plays Will Vie for Tonys". The New York Times. p. 30.
  5. ↑ "Jack Albertson". Playbill.com. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  6. ↑ Viagas, Robert; Lefkowitz, David (May 5, 1998). "B'way Sunshine Boys To Shine On Through June 28". Playbill.com.
  7. ↑ Kemp, Stuart (January 31, 2012). "Danny DeVito to Make West End Debut in 'The Sunshine Boys'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  8. ↑ Girvan, Andrew (30 January 2012). "Danny DeVito makes West End debut with Richard Griffiths in 'Sunshine Boys'". whatsonstage.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012.
  9. ↑ Shenton, Mark (January 30, 2012). "West End The Sunshine Boys, Starring Danny DeVito and Richard Griffiths, Sets Dates and Theatre". Playbill.com. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  10. ↑ "The Sunshine Boys". Savoy Theatre program. April 2012.
  11. ↑ "The Sunshine Boys". Sonia Friedman Productions website.
  12. ↑ "Tonight's Previews". Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, Fla. 1977-06-09. p. 12-B. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
  13. 1 2 Stewart, Bhob. "'The Sunshine Boys' (1997)". The New York Times. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
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