Popejoy Hall hosts one performance of Neil Simon’s “Last of the Red Hot Lovers”
Hilarious mishaps beset Barney as he just tries to find joy
Fran Prisco is ready for a weekend full of performances. But he’s not quite ready for the snow that hit the East Coast recently. Somehow, he’ll make the best of it. “It’s part of the job,” he says while driving on the New Jersey Turnpike. “I’m with my tour companions, and it’s been a great run.”
Prisco stars as Barney Cashman in Pennsylvania-based Walnut Street Theatre’s production of “Last of the Red Hot Lovers.”
The play, written by Neil Simon, will have one performance on Saturday, March 18, at Popejoy Hall.
It is set in 1969 at the height of the sexual revolution and follows Cashman, who wants his piece of the action.
With no experience as a “hot lover,” he arranges trysts with three women of different ages, but each attempt fails worse than the last.
And the hilarious mishaps force Cashman to realize that what he thought was missing may have been there all along.
“Dating hasn’t really changed that much,” he says. “That’s what is great about Neil Simon. He wrote classic plays that are still relevant.”
Prisco says Cashman is basically in the entire production.
“He talks a lot, and he never really leaves the stage,” he says. “He’s in all three acts, and he’s a constant on the scene. We have a lot of fun. Karen (Peakes) and I have known each other for some time. She plays all three women in the play. With Barney, I’m trying to find joy in his humdrum life.”
Prisco and crew have been working on the play since Dec. 19, and Albuquerque’s show will be the closing performance.
While in the Duke City, Prisco will get to visit with a childhood friend and his family.
“I remember when this show and tour was announced,” he says. “My friend was one of the first people that I called. Touring isn’t so bad, because I get opportunities to meet with friends and family in different areas.”