‘Sunshine Boys’ salutes vaudeville

They say that comedy is two parts tragedy and one part timing. In the Newport Theatre Arts Center’s production of “The Sunshine Boys,” these elements are explored with a depth and complexity that is touching and humorous.

The action centers on Willie Clark (played by Jack Gallagher), one half of an aging vaudevillian duo who haven’t worked together for 12 years. Struggling to find work, Clark finds himself attempting to recreate an old routine with his erstwhile and hated partner, Al Lewis (yes, that makes it Lewis and Clark). The ensuing conflict delves into the pair’s complex relationship while simultaneously highlighting the frustrations of dealing with a changing society and the indignities of age.

Gallagher’s Willie Clark is an energetic whirlwind limited only by his aging body. He is the picture of a former star whose mind and talent is the same, but who is limited by physical inabilities and the progress of time. At times, his level of energy is a little too high when the script calls for a more honest, quiet moment, but his performance is nonetheless a window into the aging comedian’s inner conflicts.

Manny Siegal handles his role of Al Lewis, Willie’s former partner, from a subtler angle. Lewis is the retired member of the pair, accustomed to a quiet life, and Siegal skillfully brings that unassuming rustiness into his performance. In Lewis, we see a quiet, nostalgic man who wants one more stab at fame and glory, a conflicted comedian whose participation is mainly to please his daughter. Through this insightful characterization we come to understand Lewis’ well-hidden affection for his former partner.

The heart of this play is the interaction between these two former partners, now grumpy old men. It is “The Odd Couple” on Geritol. Gallagher and Siegal revel in these sections. They bring us that unique, vaudeville style of sketch comedy, but also, in their play within a play, effusively emote the way they truly feel about each other. Their verbal thrusts, parries and evasions carry the ring of a familiar competition while still remaining fresh and funny to the real audience.

Family plays a large role in this show. Although Lewis is concerned with leaving his daughter something to remember him by, Clark is thrust into the entire situation by his well meaning but hapless agent, his nephew, Ben. Steve Saatjian portrays the various notes of his character with strength and compassion, exhibiting his love for his uncle as well as the effects of the stress from being both caretaker and career-maker for a cantankerous old man.

“The Sunshine Boys” is a compassionate examination of a dying art. It is set in the seventies, a time when some of the most popular shows on television were sketch comedy showcases such as “The Carol Burnett Show,” “Laugh-In” and “Saturday Night Live.” These programs, wildly popular in their day, owe their very existence to the vaudeville comedians of the past.

One of the great pieces of magic in this show is its homage to that old and innocent comedy style which has been lost in the more ribald humor of today’s stand-up and sketch comedy. Where we once could get a laugh from a simple pun, today’s comedy seems to rely heavily on foul mouths and observations of gender and racial differences.

Perhaps this is where tragedy meets timing. Somehow, Simon’s empathetic script allows us to laugh at the naivete of our past while mourning its loss. It reminds us that the pioneers of modern comedy are dying out as the new century wears on. It encourages us to respect the past because one day, we too will fade into it.

Before we do, Simon seems to suggest, let’s focus less on the tragedy and more on the time.