Laughs keep rolling in ‘Sunshine Boys’

Nobody writes grumpy old men like Neil Simon.

The prolific playwright’s 1972 hit “The Sunshine Boys,” currently in production by Arizona Theatre Company, recaptures the curmudgeonly charm that made “The Odd Couple” a comic classic. It’s about the more-than-strained relationship between showbiz has-beens Al Lewis and Willie Clark, who once were kings of vaudeville as the duo “Lewis and Clark.” When CBS offers them $10,000 to reunite for a television special, it’s an offer they can’t refuse — no matter how much they loathe each other.

Willie is the central character, and in this production he is played to perfection by Peter Van Norden, whose stage credits range from “Hamlet” to “Hairspray,” not to mention screen roles in “The Accused,” “The Stand” and dozens more. As a bitter, barking ball of sarcasm, he dominates every scene.

The play opens in Willie’s seedy hotel apartment, where he berates his nephew-slash-agent, Ben — played by Valley favorite Bob Sorenson — for failing to land him a job in an Alka-Seltzer commercial (“I’ve got a terrific face for an upset stomach”).

The set, designed by Yoon Bae, isn’t just rundown, it’s the Platonic ideal of dilapidation, right down to the bent window blinds and the puke-green wallpaper peeling away at the corners. Amidst the mess, a pair of classylooking vases are a subtle reminder of past success. It all makes for an apt reflection of a character who proudly puts on a jacket and tie

when his onetime partner and current nemesis shows up at the door.

As played by David