(HAMPTON, NJ) -- Hunterdon Hills Playhouse presents The Sunshine Boys by Neil Simon from February 24 through March 26, 2026. This is a classic comedy about two aging vaudeville performers, Willie Clark and Al Lewis, who were once a legendary duo but haven’t spoken in years due to a bitter falling out.
Al and Willie as “Lewis and Clark” were top-billed vaudevillians for over forty years. Now they aren’t even speaking. When CBS requests them for a “History of Comedy” retrospective, a grudging reunion brings the two back together, along with a flood of memories, miseries, and laughs.
The story follows the attempt by a young theatrical agent to re-unite his elderly uncle, a former vaudevillian great, with his long-time stage partner for a TV reunion. Despite their celebrated reputation, the two old men have not spoken in twelve years. Besides remastering their sketch, the two men have numerous issues to work out before they are ready to return to the public eye.
Tickets are available for purchase online. General admission pricing includes show, table-served entrée, dessert, coffee, hot tea, tax and gratuity. Hunterdon Hills Playhouse is located at 88 State Route 173 in Hampton, New Jersey.
The Sunshine Boys premiered on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre on December 20, 1972. Directed by Alan Arkin, the production featured Jack Albertson, John Batiste, Minnie Gentry, Sam Levene, Lee Meredith, Lewis J. Stadlen, Beatrice Tremaine and Joe Young.
American playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon (1927-2018) is widely regarded as one of the most successful, prolific and performed playwrights in theatre history. In addition to Lost In Yonkers, which won a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize, his plays and musicals include Come Blow Your Horn, Little Me, Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Sweet Charity, The Star-Spangled Girl, Plaza Suite, Promises, Promises, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The Gingerbread Lady, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The Sunshine Boys, The Good Doctor, God's Favorite, California Suite, Chapter Two, They're Playing Our Song, I Ought to be in Pictures, Fools, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, The Odd Couple (female version), Broadway Bound, Rumors, Jake's Women, The Goodbye Girl, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, London Suite, Proposals, Hotel Suite, The Dinner Party, 45 Seconds from Broadway, Oscar and Felix, and Rose's Dilemma.
In addition to the film adaptations he wrote of many of his plays, his screenplay credits include After the Fox, The Out-Of-Towners, The Heartbreak Kid (original 1973 version), Murder by Death, The Cheap Detective, Seems Like Old Times, Only When I Laugh, Max Dugan Returns, The Slugger's Wife, The Marrying Man and The Odd Couple II. Other motion pictures based on stage plays include Come Blow Your Horn, Sweet Charity and The Star-Spangled Girl. For television, Mr. Simon wrote series, teleplays and motion pictures, including The Tallulah Bankhead Show, The Sid Caesar Show, The Phil Silvers Arrow Show, The Phil Silvers Show, The Garry Moore Show, The Trouble with People, ABC's Broadway Bound and Jake’s Women.
Books by Neil Simon include Rewrites, A Memoir, The Play Goes On, four omnibus collections of Neil Simon's plays (The Comedy Of Neil Simon, The Collected Plays Of Neil Simon, Vol. II, The Collected Plays Of Neil Simon, Vol. 3, The Collected Plays Of Neil Simon, Vol. 4) and Lost In Yonkers (screenplay).
Mr. Simon received more Academy and Tony nominations than any other writer. Awards he received include the Pulitzer Prize for Lost In Yonkers, Emmy Awards for The Sid Caesar Show and The Phil Silvers Show, Tony Awards for The Odd Couple, Biloxi Blues, Lost In Yonkers and a special Tony Award For Overall Contribution To The Theatre. His nominations include Tony Award Nominations for Little Me, Barefoot in the Park, Plaza Suite, Promises, Promises, The Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Broadway Bound, Lost in Yonkers and The Goodbye Girl (musical). Other nominations include a Writers Guild Screen Award for The Odd Couple and The Out-Of-Towners, a Writers Guild Laurel Award, an American Comedy Award for Lifetime Achievement and a Writers Guild Screen Award Nomination for Barefoot in the Park, as well as an Oscar Nomination for The Odd Couple, an Evening Standard Award, a Sam S. Shubert Foundation Award, Kennedy Center Honors, a UCLA Medal, a Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award and a William Inge Theater Festival Award for Distinguished Achievement in the American Theater.
Located in picturesque Hunterdon County, Hunterdon Playhouse specializes in matinee and dinner performances. From the moment you arrive at their 90 acre country estate, your unforgettable experience begins. Take a stroll through their meticulously landscaped grounds and enjoy the serenity of their lakeside terrace. Enter the lobby and you will notice the aroma of freshly baked breads and desserts from their on-site bakery. At your convenience, stop by the lovely boutique, Fabulous Finds, for unique and trendy pieces of jewelry and apparel.
