BEMIDJI — Is it possible to recapture the magic after years of no contact?
Neil Simon's play, The Sunshine Boys, tries to find that out. Main character Willy Clark was part of a successful vaudeville comedy duo with Al Lewis before the pair had a falling out. After 12 years, the two plan to reunite for a comedy retrospective, but can they set aside their differences to recapture the magic?
The role of Willy Clark is unique for Bemidji actor Paul Conklin. For one, he gets to play a character close to his actual age. Clark is in his 70s and Conklin is 68. It’s also a challenge for him to find the humanity and pathos of the usually gruff Clark, along with the comedy.
Bemidji Community Theater’s performances of The Sunshine Boys are June 5-7 and June 12-14. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:00 p.m. with the Sunday shows at 2:00 p.m.
Conklin told Area Voices on the KAXE Morning Show that performing vaudeville can be tricky with its distinctive style. It’s very broad, fast-paced and filled with one-liners. When asked if he thinks that he and the actor playing Lewis got that style down as a duo, Conklin said, “Well, I hope we've done it,” with a laugh.
Conklin has been part of the Bemidji Community Theater for 20 years. He dabbled in acting in high school, but it wasn’t until his daughter was cast as Tinker Bell in Peter Pan that he decided to be a part of theater again.
“I was behind stage pulling the ropes to make her fly and said, ‘Well, (it would) probably be more fun to be out in front.’”
Conklin describes the Bemidji Community Theater as a very collegial group of folks. He likes that there’s a wide cross-section of people involved and that they can come together to put on a show like The Sunshine Boys.
“There are lots of long-term and lasting friendships that have developed out of that as well.”
Conklin was also excited to work with director Fred Rogers on this show. Rogers has been a part of the Walker Bay Theater scene, and this is his first show for Bemidji Community Theater. He appreciates that Rogers let him find his own voice for the character of Clark.
Conklin said he thinks this show has a wide range of emotions that the audience can appreciate.
“It's got very blatant and ribald humor in it, but it's definitely exploring a lot of tender issues about aging and memory and trying to hold on to the past versus letting it go," he said.
"It's funny, but it's also got some thought-provoking pieces to it.”
Tickets for The Sunshine Boys are available at McKenzie Place and Ken K. Thompson Jewelry. They are also available at the Bemidji Community Theater website. Their Facebook page has the latest updates and behind the scenes photos of the show as well.
Tell us about upcoming arts events where you live in Northern Minnesota by emailing psa@kaxe.org.
Area Voices is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
