'The Sunshine Boys' light up latest Greensburg Civic Theatre production

Neil Simon’s original “The Sunshine Boys” on Broadway featured Sam Levene as Al Lewis and Jack Albertson as Willie Clark, two stubborn ex-vaudevillians – formerly partners in a comedy-duo – who haven’t spoken to one another in many years.

In other versions of Simon’s play, the 1975 feature film had George Burns and Walter Matthau in the leading roles, the 1996 TV movie had Woody Allen and Peter Falk – and now, the Greensburg Civic Theatre production has David Seremet and Dennis “Chip” Kerr.

Following in the footsteps of some show biz legends, Seremet of Latrobe and Kerr of Greensburg portray the former stage partners who begrudgingly get back together for a TV reunion.

Both actors are well known to community theaters in the region and both are eager to play the iconic leading roles in performances Feb. 20-22 at Greensburg Garden and Civic Center.

“I never had the opportunity to do ‘The Sunshine Boys’ mainly because I felt I was too young. Well, those days are certainly gone!” Seremet said. “A chance to play an age-appropriate role of this caliber doesn’t come along very often.”

Reunited for iconic roles

The two actors, who are “old friends,” often talked about doing the play together.

“We are in many ways the characters we portray, so we arranged to audition together and here we are,” he said. “If the fun at rehearsals is any clue, the audience is in for a treat.”

Kerr, who played his role previously at Apple Hill Playhouse in Delmont, said the playwright takes a sad situation – a comedy team that hasn’t spoken to one another due to personal and professional difficulties – and “nails the humor when they do get together again and all of the old conflicts rise to the surface.”

Kerr’s challenge in recreating his character involves weaving together all of the elements involved in creating a successful show – the words, the characters, the timing, the physicality and the audience reactions.

Love story between friends

“Finding that balance and playing the comedy for all its worth is the challenge,” he said. “I’ve often thought that this is a love story, not in the traditional sense, but a love story between friends that started a long time ago and has continued even through their self-imposed silence over the years. Many people can relate to that, I think.”

For Seremet, keeping the character real is the biggest challenge in playing a comedic role.

“Preparing for a comedic role is in many ways more difficult than doing so for a drama. It’s especially true for this one,” he said. “We are not merely two old guys who insult and yell at each other. We have a history and we truly love each other despite the outward appearances. That is where the challenge appears. The laughs will come if the character is solid.”

‘Brilliant’ performances

Barbara Rolla of Hempfield directs “The Sunshine Boys” and said that all of the actors in the show, especially Kerr and Seremet, “are brilliant when it comes to timing and their character relationship.”

The director said Simon is one of the greatest comedic playwrights of all time for his ability to create characters and come up with some of the best “one-liners” unlike any other.

She last directed “Run for Your Wife” for GCT in 2019 and has directed and choreographed several shows for Mt. Pleasant Area Senior High School. She also has performed with GCT, Pittsburgh CLO, Split Stage Productions, Geyer Performing Arts Center, Kelly Simon Productions and Apple Hill Playhouse.

Stage credits

Kerr’s stage credits include “Moonlight and Magnolias” and “Outside Mullingar” for Apple Hill Playhouse, “Fantastiks” for Cabaret Theatre, “Last of the Boys” for New Kensington Civic Theatre, and “Barefoot in the Park” for The Theatre Factory.

Seremet is a resident member of Cabaret Theatre and his credits include “Tuesdays with Morrie,” “Becoming Scrooge,” “Pygmalion,” “Celibacy,” “Man of La Mancha,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The Fantasticks.”

The cast of “The Sunshine Boys” also features Scott Walton of Blairsville, Johnna Pro of Charleroi, Caileigh Halbrook of Uniontown, Josh Kinneer of Donegal and Chase Stuart of Johnstown. Marcus Greenberg of Greensburg is stage manager.