Betty The Yeti

The Sunshine Boys

By Neil Simon

Directed by Maggie

Jan 25 - Feb 16

Al Lewis and Willie Clark played vaudeville as a team for forty-three years until their mutual aggravation led to a separation. Now it’s eleven years later and CBS wants them to reunite for a comedy special and their contentious reunion inspires some of Simon’s sharpest dialogue. George Burns won an Oscar for his performance in the movie version of this play, called “delicious and oddly affecting” by The New York Times.

THE SUNSHINE BOYS
by Neil Simon

(In order of appearance)

                                                      Willie Clark              Dick Bond
                                                  Ben Silverman               Walter Haight
                                                         Al Lewis                 Ed Kramer
                                      Voice of TV Director                 Jon Oshel
                                                              Eddie                  Nathan (Nate) W. Collins
                                                            Patient                  Denis Lafferty
                                                             Nurse                   Geri Lyne Greeno
                                            Registered Nurse                  Jennifer Gimzewski

Maggie was born and raised in Glendale, California. She participated in the Film Industries Workshop for 2½ years, taking part in their Pro Lab, acting on camera. She was chosen for several guest director scenes as well. Maggie also worked several years with the Edgewood Players and Pomona Community Theatre, putting her talents to good use in Auntie Mame, Come Blow Your Horn, All The King’s Men, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, as well as several others. Pentacle credits include performances in The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, Driving Miss Daisy, The Cemetery Club, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Shadow Box, Nuts, and The Beauty Queen of Leenane, and direction of Moon Over Buffalo, Absurd Person Singular, Prisoner of 2nd Avenue, Noises Off, Bus Stop, and The Ladies of the Camellias, among others. In addition to live theater, Maggie enjoys creative writing and travel.

Dick’s first Pentacle experience was the 1967 production of Harvey. His most recent appearance was in the 2004 production of Man of La Mancha. In between have been several Neil Simon plays including the 1984 production of The Sunshine Boys. Others appearances include Greater Tuna and A Tuna Christmas. Dick is a Lifetime Member of Pentacle Theatre and currently Vice President of the Governing Board. He considers it a privilege to have been associated with the Pentacle Theatre and its participants and supporters for over forty years. He attended the University of Oregon where he majored in radio and TV and was active in the theatre department. Dick lives in Salem and currently is employed by the Home Builders Association of Marion and Polk Counties.

This production marks not only Ed’s debut at Pentacle, but also his return to the stage after a twenty-year absence. After majoring in theatre at the State University of NY, and spending a year acting in community theatre he moved to NYC to study acting and struggle. He did both, appearing in what he says was a series of Off-Off Broadway plays no one ever heard of. Ed lives in Salem and works in communications for Oregon’s Dept. of Human Services. His two girls, Caroline and Heather, are the loves of his life. He dedicates his performance in The Sunshine Boys to his Jewish mother, Rhoda. “If Neil Simon ever met her,” he says, “he would have had the material for at least two more plays.” Ed Kramer Al

Denis is regularly seen on the Pentacle stage, from The Pirates of Penzance and Ladies of the Camellias, to the 2007 productions of Once Upon A Mattress, The Boy Friend, And Then There Were None. He also appeared in the 1986 CET production of Ebenezer. Audiences have also enjoyed the many special props and set pieces designed and built by Denis over the years. He enjoys music, art and sailing and hails from New Zealand. He lives in Salem and works in the auto industry.

Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, Geri began dancing at the age of 3 and acting at the age of 9. Geri made her Pentacle debut in 2000 as Sheila in Hair. Other Pentacle credits include Nancy in Oliver, Nunsense II, Metropolis, Talking With …, Terror by Gaslight, and most recently as Electra in Gypsy. Her Pentacle directorial debut was the 2006 production of The Curious Savage and last year she directed and choreographed The Boyfriend. Geri has just been elected to Pentacle’s Governing Board. She works as the payroll manager for Oregon Youth Authority and lives in Salem with her fiancé Jeff whom she thanks for all his love and support.

This is Jennifer’s third production with Pentacle. She was seen in the 2007 productions of And Then There Were None and Gypsy. She is from Glasgow Scotland where she studied stage management at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dance and has a BE from Strathclyde University. She also lived in Switzerland for 22 years where she taught in international schools. Jennifer is currently a student at WOU and lives in Aumsville.

Jon has been active with the Tillamook Association for the Performing Arts, appearing in Hello, Dolly!, Camelot, and The Fantastiks, to name a few. In the Pentacle production of The Curious Savage he played Dr. Emmett. He comes to Oregon via Manhattan, Kansas, and the Mojave Desert. Jon lives in West Salem and is the county road program manager for the Association of Oregon Counties. He has three daughters, three grandkids with two more on the way.

This is Nathan’s Pentacle debut. He is a model and actor, having appeared in music videos with Gene Simmons from Kiss, the E! Network production of The Life and Death of Anna Nicole Smith and bit parts on various TV shows. As a model he has appeared on the cover of six magazines and in an Italian fashion magazine. Nate was born in Salem and raised in Los Angeles and splits his time between the two. He loves music, modeling and coffee.

Walter was last seen on the Pentacle stage in Ladies of the Camellias and Bus Stop. He is also active at Gallery Theatre in McMinnville where he has appeared in The Foreigner, Critic’s Choice, The Laramie Project, and many more. Walter studied in the theater department at University of Oregon and sang for 12 years with the Tualatin Valley Harmony Masters. McMinnville is home to Walter.