A new production of playwright Neil Simon’s award-winning comedy from the 1970s, ‘The Sunshine Boys’, will be coming to London’s Savoy Theatre for a twelve-week run from April 2012.
The show, which centres around the reuniting of an old vaudeville comedy double-act years after an acrimonious split, will be headlined by Danny DeVito and Richard Griffiths in the roles of Clark and Lewis, and this production marks DeVito’s first appearance on the West End stage. You’ll know DeVito from his countless movie appearances (although I still consider his finest role to be the car-despatcher in the long-running TV comedy series ‘Taxi’ from the late ’70s and early ’80s), and whilst he has had an equally long and distinguished TV, theatre and film career Griffiths is probably most recognised for his recurring role as Harry Potter’s disagreeable uncle, Vernon Dursley.
This production of ‘The Sunshine Boys’ (which first appeared on Broadway in 1972) is being directed by Thea Sharrock, who won an Oliver Award in 2011 for the revival of Terence Rattigan’s play,‘After The Dance’, which hails from the 1930s. That recent success indicates that she knows how to give an older show a new lease of life and some 21st century sparkle, and she couldn’t have two better leading actors to work with either – I predict that the show will be very well-received. I’m certainly going to attend a performance as I doubt there’ll ever be another opportunity to see Danny DeVito treading the boards in London!
Performances start on 27 April and run until late July, with matinees at 2:30pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays. During the run, 20 of the best seats in the house will be available for £10 every day, but only for visitors to the box office from 10am on the day of the performance. Of course you can also pick up tickets online at the show’s website, and by telephoning the box office on 0844 8717687.
February 27, 2012
Arts and Culture, Events