The Big Oak Theatre Presents “Last of The Red Hot Lovers.” Written by Neil Simon and Directed by Patrick Hart.
“Last of The Red Hot Lovers” runs March 30, 31, April 6,7,13 & 14 at 3pm
The Big Oak Theatre, 22200 Chatsworth Blvd, Chatsworth CA 91311
The chance to see a Neil Simon play isn’t one to be missed. This genius of comedy and social commentary was the most prolific writer of our times…probably of any times in fact.
He’s also the most decorated, receiving more combined Oscar and Tony nominations than any other writer.
The Big Oak Theatre’s production of his play “Last of The Red Hot Lovers” is totally faithful to the spirit and hilarity of the original. Set in the 60s in New York, the hero, Barney Cashman, is a middle-aged, married fish restaurant owner who wants to join the sexual revolution before it’s too late. A generally harmless, gentle soul with no experience in adultery, he fails miserably at each of his three attempts at an affair. Once with a man eater who pursues him at his own restaurant, once with an actress he met in the park who turned out to be mad as a hatter, and lastly and very ill advisedly, with his wife’s best friend, who merely sought revenge against her own philandering husband.
It’s all a delightful recipe for disaster. As the play unfolds and Barney becomes more and more desperate to consummate some kind of anything, we begin to understand his yearning for adventure, however misguided and delusional.
These brilliant and richly drawn characters would give any actor a dream of an excuse to flaunt their skills. Funny, paranoid, brutal, timid, sweaty, nervous, depressed and depraved are just some of the nuances of these roles and these particularly entertaining actors absolutely revel in them.
Everyone is brilliant. Each firmly placing their own stamp on these now iconic characters…bravo!
It’s a laugh out loud play, Simon’s words are of course brilliant and timeless, as are his situations, characters and story. Poor Barney….so completely unaware of the luck of his life, so oblivious to the misery of other people’s. His journey is so well written and in this production so well cast and so well executed.
It’s a lovely theatre, tucked away in the wilds of Chatsworth, up against the mountains in the delightful farmyard of Big Oak. In this quaint and charming setting sits this highly professional theatre and a superb company of actors supported by the brilliant Patrick Hart and his lovely wife Bonnie.
I highly recommend “Last of The Red Hot Lovers” at The Big Oak Theatre in Chatsworth. But don’t dawdle!! The run is short, so get your tickets fast!
http://www.bigoaktheatre.com/Reservations.html
Cast:
Andrew Meglio – Barney
Nova Dejhemani – Elaine
Liz Fenning – Bobbi
Virginia Brazier – Jeanette
Production Crew:
Patrick Hart – Director, Set Design, Executive Producer
Bonnie Hart – Executive Producer
Jessica Haganey – Stage Manager
Adam Cota – Lighting Design
Sherman Ellison – Sound Consultant
Barbara Leiner – Box Office
Karen Lehman, Denise Greenhut, Chenoa Neilson – Hospitality
Robert Arach – Tickets
Awesome and brilliant commentary, Samantha. Thank you
Thank you Samantha for a very engaging review. I hope everyone gets a chance to see this.
It was like a therapy session watching the four gifted Actors sort out the amusing, sad and exciting circumstances. And not only did Patrick Hart guide four brilliant performances, he built and created that nostalgic set!