Cast Set For Neil Simon's 'The Sunshine Boys'

Full casting has been announced for Neil Simon’s “The Sunshine Boys,” which begins previews September 24 at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre at the Los Angeles Music Center.  Opening night is October 2 and performances run through November 3, 2013.

“The Sunshine Boys” is written by Neil Simon and directed by Thea Sharrock.  Joining previously announced cast members Danny DeVito, Judd Hirsch and David Krumholtz, are Annie Abrams, Matthew Bohrer, Benjamin Burdick, Gibby Brand, Johnnie Fiori, Frank Kopyc and PaSean Wilson.

Neil Simon’s “The Sunshine Boys” has set and costume design by Hildegard Bechtler, lighting design by Neil Austin, music by Adrian Johnston and sound design by Cricket S. Myers.  Casting is by Jim Carnahan with Los Angeles casting by Mark B. Simon.  The production stage manager is Barclay Stiff.

In “The Sunshine Boys,” Willie Clark (DeVito) and Al Lewis (Hirsch) are former vaudevillian stars who, after a partnership of over 40 years, are no longer speaking to each other.  When a lucrative television offer for one last show lures them into a grudging reunion, sparks fly in this classic comedy of showbiz and friendship. DeVito and Hirsch are reuniting on the Ahmanson stage 30 years after they both starred in the landmark television series “Taxi.”

 “The Sunshine Boys”  “… celebrates the clown’s classic gift for turning anger into art,” said Ben Brantley of The New York Times. “Willie Clark ... has a carved-in-stone list of things that are funny. Words that have “k” sounds, for instance, like pickle and cake and cucumber. Might I add to that list the image of a tufted Danny DeVito in striped pajamas and a sports jacket? ... That’s comedy, folks. And it’s one of the reasons that Thea Sharrock’s production of ‘The Sunshine Boys’ works so incredibly well.”

 “Thea Sharrock directs a pitch-perfect production,” said Charles Spencer of The Telegraph, “that beautifully captures fleeting moments of tenderness in the comedy without ever turning mushy… a golden evening. ...”

“The Sunshine Boys” is produced by Center Theatre Group by special arrangement with Richard Willis, Sonia Friedman Productions, Roger Berlind, Tulchin Bartner Productions, Rupert Gavin and Darren Bagert/Martin Massman.

Tickets for “The Sunshine Boys” are available at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org, the CTG box office located at the Ahmanson Theatre, or by calling (213) 972-4400.