The Sunshine Boys 7 - 23 October 2010
Once more with venom
Somewhere off Broadway. Aged ex-vaudeville star Willie Clark spends all day, every day, sitting in his digs waiting for his nephew to bring him news of a new part; theatre, commercial, television - anything. The problem is that without his vaudeville sidekick of over forty years, Al Lewis, Clark is nothing. The pair made up legendary act The Sunshine Boys, but offstage had a tempestuous relationship and have not spoken in over ten years.
As the obstinate double act is reunited for one final performance chaos ensues as the pair refuse to be in the same room. Full of zippy one liners The Sunshine Boys makes for a deliriously funny evening of entertainment.
Reviews:
“Filling the auditorium with sunshine, this production has true quality and is a testament to the quality of Simon’s work.”
- What’s On Stage
“…the chemistry between the two vaudevillians is terrific - as is that between the two actors playing them.”
- The Stage
“Worth raising your sunglasses for.”
- Reviewsgate
“In David Fielder, the show has a sympathetic Al, whose lines are delivered in a realistic, human and thus funny way with all the underlying warmth of a doting grandfather…”
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“…Dominic Gately plays with great sympathy the nephew and agent...”
- Oldham Chronicle
“Fielder and Pickavance create characters who are believably unpleasant and charming in equal measure. The lasting bond between these two men is palpable.”
- The Public Reviews
“Branagh has created for the Coliseum a nicely-rounded production stuffed with plenty of comedy but with a genuine emotional heart of a play that still works nearly forty years on from its first production, showing that good comedy can traverse the generations...”
- British Theatre Guide
Videos
Production Team
| Written by | Neil Simon |
| Director | Joyce Branagh |
| Designer | Foxton |
| Lighting Designer | Thomas Weir |
| Sound Designer | Lorna Munden |
| Voice Coach | Caroline Hetherington |
| On the Book | Emma Cook |
Cast Members
| Willie | Robert Pickavance |
| Ben | Dominic Gately |
| Al | David Fielder |
| Miss Mackintosh/Edie | Marianne Benedict |
| Miss O'Neill | Maxine Burth |