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Laugh-worthy 'Lovers'

A cheating middle-aged heart pumps out hilarity in a Neil Simon classi c that never grows old.

By JORGE SANCHEZ
Published September 30, 2005

There's a reason why Last of the Red Hot Lovers is a favorite among community theater groups.

The cast is small (four actors) and the set can be a simple design. But, according to director Jackie Torres of the Art Center Theatre, there's another reason why this Neil Simon comedy never seems to run out of steam:

"It stands up well through the years. Even the one-liners are just as funny today as they were back in the '70s," she said.

Lovers spins its story line from the midlife crisis of Barney Cashman, a seafood restaurateur who is at wits' end after 23 years of marriage. Barney has decided that his middle-aged angst can be alleviated only by an affair, so he embarks on a succession of hilarious seductions of women. The trysts are arranged at his mother's apartment. She is away doing charity work at the hospital.

Poor Barney (David Easter) hungers for just one day with another woman, even if it is at his mother's apartment. The locale is practical but also hopeless. He brings over his own drinking glasses so his mother won't become suspicious over a dirty sink.

First up is Elaine Navazio (Hannah Lowther), a tough-talking golden girl who has obviously done this kind of thing once or twice before. Barney picks her up in his restaurant by writing the phone number on her check. Though she's a tempting beauty, Barney is a klutz, splashing after-shave on his fingers so they won't smell like fish. Elaine fades like the outgoing tide.

Next is Bobbi Michele (Brannon DeGraw), a lounge singer with stars in her eyes. Bobbi is about as emotionally stable as a wisp of smoke on a windy day. Speaking of smoke, Bobbi enjoys smoking marijuana, and turns the reluctant Barney on to a joint. The scene ends as the two stoned would-be lovers warble a chorus of What the World Needs Now Is Love .

"This is an adult-themed play," DeTorres said.

Saving the best for last, Barney meets Jeanette Fisher (Pamela Schreck), a pill-popping neurotic crybaby. It turns out that Jeanette is a friend of the Cashmans' who made a move on Barney at a recent dinner party. Jeannette keeps the tissue manufacturers in business, as she cries in decibel levels not heard since Sally Struthers in All in the Family . She forces Barney to face up to his own decency.

"The play is a reflection of the '60s, and as we all know, it certainly was an interesting era," DeTorres said. "There was new music by the Beatles and the whole spirit of a revolutionary impact on our country from Vietnam."

-- Jorge Sanchez covers arts and entertainment in Citrus County. Call 860-7313 or e-mail sanchez@sptimes.com

[Last modified September 30, 2005, 11:01:04]