| From Prime Time magazine: The Sunshine Boys A Review by John S. Hanson The Brevard Little Theatre, BLT, performance of Neil Simon's, Sunshine Boys, played to a full house. A first for BLT was the dinner/play offering at the Cherokee Room Theatre at the Connestee Falls Club House, with a buffet served in the adjoining Carolina Dining Room, with its beautiful view of the mountains.. The play is a classic comedy, directed by Joe Carvajal, with a cast of seasoned performers complete with a comic nurse played by Brevard High School's Allie Cagen. The play story line has Nephew and Theatrical Agent (John Winfield) telling his Uncle Willie Clark (Hal Boyd) that CBS-TV wants his old vaudeville act on his on a nostalgia show. Problem: Willie and his partner, Al Lewis (Jim Keeley), comedians with a long career on stage, had a feud and split. Years had passed with no contact between them. Now, the Nephew is working hard to get them together so they can agree to do the show. What follows is a romp of great Neil Simon comedy lines that break up the audience. The dinner-and-a-show combo at the clubhouse with food, drinks (the cash bar was open at intermission too) and table service with a great view, made the event a memorable experience which I enjoyed sharing with friends. Brevard Little Theatre celebrates it's 56th Season by offering six more productions: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Dec. 9-18, 2005 Run for your Wife Jan. 20-29, 2006 Murder at the Howard Johnson's Mar. 17-26, 2006 Abiding Place May 12-21, 2006 David's Mother June 30-July 9. 2006 Oliver! Aug. 25-Sept. 9, 2006 For reservations call: 828-884-2587 More at: www.brevardlittletheatre.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From the Transylvania Times: New BLT Season Opens with "The Sunshine Boys" A Review by William Mashburn The opening night performance of Neil Simon's comedy, The Sunshine Boys, directed by Joe Carvajal, affirmed that the Brevard Little Theater is alive and well despite having to leave its "home" for many years, the Barn Theater on the Brevard College campus. The new venue for this production is the Cherokee Room Theater of the Connestee Falls Overlook Clubhouse. A number of people from outside the Connestee Falls community were present at the opening night performance. Willie Clark and Al Lewis are an old-time vaudeville team who are more or less retired and who are offered the opportunity to come out of retirement, reunite and reprieve one of their routines on national TV. Despite having worked together for 43 years there are some strained relations between the two which make for some hilarious situations in the play. BLT newcomer Hal Boyd as Willie Clark; newcomer John Winfield as Clark's nephew and would-be caretaker, Ben Silverman; and veteran BLT actor, Jim Keeley as Al Lewis, do an overall wonderful job of carrying the major load in the show and ensuring its success. Boyd can be aggravating at times as the memory-challenged Willie Clark, but in a funny sort of way. Jim Keeley as the somewhat more reasonable Al Lewis is a perfect counterweight to Boyd's character as the quirky Willie Clark. John Winfield is very convincing as the well-intentioned nephew. Rounding out the excellent cast are Paul Goldschmidt as Eddie; Dave Gibbs as The Patient; Bob Stacy as Phil; local radio personality Allen Reese as the TV Announcer; June Stacy as the Registered Nurse; and Allie Cagen as the Comic Nurse. Audience members will recall Miss Cagen's very fine performance in the leading role of Alice in BLT's recent musical production of Alice in Wonderland. Performances through October 30 are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. For reservations for all performances call 828 884-2587. For dinner in the clubhouse dining room prior to the show, call 828 884-5622 for reservations. |