Directed by David Saint, the Neil Simon comedy will star the previously announced Jack Klugman and Paul Dooley as vaudevillians Willie Clark and Al Lewis. Previews will begin Oct. 16 with an official opening Oct. 19; the limited engagement will run through Nov. 11.
Joining Klugman and Dooley onstage will be Gibson Frazier as Ben, Ebony Jo-Ann as the registered nurse, Peggy Joyce Crosby as the sketch nurse, Paul Stolarsky as Eddie and Joe O'Brien as the assistant director.
In a statement George Street artistic director Saint said, "Following his success with The Value of Names we were discussing Jack's return to Playhouse. When I mentioned that it would be my tenth season here, he mentioned that 10 years ago he had performed The Sunshine Boys on Broadway with his dear friend Tony Randall, so it seemed an auspicious omen. As it turned out, I last worked with the wonderful Paul Dooley ten years ago in California, just prior to becoming artistic director at George Street Playhouse. I am delighted to be working with them both." Both Ebony Jo-Ann and Peggy Joyce appeared in the Klugman-Randall Sunshine Boys in 1997.
"Lewis and Clark were the kings of comedy," state Sunshine Boys press notes, "too bad they can't stand one another! A staple on the Vaudeville circuit, they kept audiences in stitches for decades, making six appearances on 'The Ed Sullivan Show.' Now estranged for decades, they agree (at the request of Willy Clark's long-suffering nephew Ben) to reunite for one last performance – but can they get through the sketch without killing one another?"
The creative team also includes R. Michael Miller (set designer), Christopher J. Bailey (lighting and sound designer) and Esther Arroyo (costume designer). George Street Playhouse is located in New Brunswick, NJ. Tickets, priced $28-$64, are available by calling (732) 246-7717. For more information visit www.gsponline.org.
