Ask any long-married couple and they’ll tell you: partnerships are hard. Ask the survivors of divorce and they’ll likely say breakups are harder.

Ask any comedians and they’ll probably tell you comedy partnerships are the hardest of all.

Neil Simon’s play "The Sunshine Boys" tells the story of comedy duo Lewis and Clark (loosely based on the real life comics Smith and Dale) who haven’t spoken to each other in 11 years after shattering a 43 year partnership that made them vaudeville stars.

Like so many other breakups the reasons for the split are a little silly: during performances Al Lewis (played by Christopher Sharp) tended to poke his finger a little too hard into the chest of his partner Willie Clark (Neil Torrie). He also had a tendency to spit in Willie’s face when he said any words beginning with “T”. So when Willie’s nephew/agent, Ben (played with energy and enthusiasm by Richard Kirwin), presents an offer from CBS TV for a reunion, finding a way around old hurts and resentments becomes a major problem.

Simon wrote "The Sunshine Boys" in the early 70’s and director Robert Bailey has resolutely kept the play in the correct period, including having Kirwin’s Ben sport alarming sideburns and hilariously dubious fashions choices. But the story hangs on the two main characters and when Lewis and Clark finally get around to re-creating their famous “Doctor” sketch the solid chemistry between Torrie and Sharp helps us believe these two have performed this same routine thousands of times. Both actors are firing all their cylinders in this production and their teamwork is a pleasure to watch.  Jody Ledgerwood is also hilarious as the “sex kitten” nurse while Carol Beauchamp hits just the right tone of indignation and exasperation as the “real” nurse. Both Grant Coward and Garret Lee are solid as unsuspecting spectators caught in the middle of a buzz saw of old resentments and anger.

This is a highly entertaining production with just the right balance of jokes and pathos.

Rob Davidson, Play Reviewer