The Sunshine Boys

The Independent“A disappointment...” These two actors – each excellent in their different ways – never convince you that Simon's fictional duo had spent more than 40 years as a headlining vaudeville double act...

The Stage“Yields surprising rewards...” It’s a pleasure to watch two veteran actors who clearly have enormous affection for each other, playing two former vaudeville partners who no longer share the same kind of fondness...

Evening Standard“The mood is oddly glum...” The play, first performed in 1972, represents the perils of celebrity (and volatile double acts) in a way that now feels modest in its scope. The writing abounds with gags, exulting in several different kinds of crankiness, but it’s repetitive...

Whatsonstage.com“What a treat...” This is a play as much about growing old, and getting lonely, as it is one about the end of variety, and the world of comics in the Catskills that Simon helped translate into television comedy and chat shows...

Guardian“A richly resonant comedy...” What makes the play profoundly touching as well as funny is Simon's understanding of the obduracy, childishness and professional neglect that are often inseparable from old age...

The Telegraph“The West End at the top of its game...” Thea Sharrock directs a pitch-perfect production that beautifully captures fleeting moments of tenderness in the comedy without ever turning mushy...

The Observer“What a waste...” The first half limps, desperately over-extended; the second (which is enlivened by a crisp and snapping appearance by Johnnie Fiori) has more bite, but its real high points are triumphs of acting over content...