Neil Simon was a tremendously prolific writer and his style, which often focuses on intimate situations and witty character studies, meant that many of his works for the stage found their way successfully onto the small and big screens.
Last of the Red Hot Lovers is no exception, but Gene Saks’ underwhelming 1972 film adaptation never really lived up to the success of the 1969 play, falling rather flat by comparison with predecessors like The Odd Couple and Plaza Suite.
As a stage play however, Red Hot Lovers is a splendid vehicle for its cast of four. Each of the three acts is a separate duet, in which the central character of Barney Cashman attempts to seduce one of three potential extramarital affairs. Barney is a staid, solid, sensible and very married New York seafood restaurant owner. Surrounded by a world in which men are exchanging partners as often as they change their socks, Barney wakes up every morning haunted by the looming spectre of death and feels the ticking of the clock. More out of a sense of panic than any innate need, he embarks on a mission to find the affair that he thinks might spice up a perfectly good marriage. (Think of a sort of late-middle-aged version of Bobby from Sondheim's 'Company', which was roughly a contemporary of this play.)
So it is that he encounters the whiskey-fuelled Elaine Navazio, who is far more the swinger than he will ever be, and simply hasn’t the patience for him, followed by Bobbi Michelle, a social butterfly who floats through life in a haze of pot smoke. Finally comes Jeanette Fisher, one half of a couple who are good friends of the Cashmans. By this time, just as Barney is starting to get the hang of the seduction lark, he just has to choose the one woman who would never agree to such debauchery.
Catherine Millar is aloof and haughty as Elaine, exuding the exasperation of her character’s impatience from every pore, and swilling the scotch like a trooper. Her performance smoulders with a suggestion that you could easily get burned by getting too close. Then follows Rhiannon White as Bobbi, who bursts onto the stage with an irrepressible energy. She delivers her lines like a tsunami and makes maximum mileage out of the quickfire text that Simon has penned for her. Here, Barney’s biggest challenge is getting a word in edgeways, and in this second act the comedy really begins to ramp up. Finally we meet Anne Mellows as Jeanette. While Act III turns the dynamic of the interaction upside down, so Mellows’ performance dramatically paints Barney into the corner he has made for himself, just as he thought he was on a roll. Her acting is masterfully subtle.
Throughout it all is the splendidly bewildered and befuddled Barney in a gloriously low-key performance from Paul Connolly, making his return to the stage after a lengthy sabbatical with a real triumph. His neatly modified repetitions of the opening business for each act set down a marker for his different approach to each of the three situations. Connolly trusts the dialogue to do the work and never overplays the comedy, allowing it to grow out of both the words and the physical mannerisms. From the stiff shoulders of the first act to the almost swaggering braggadocio at the opening of the last, he captures Barney’s mounting befuddlement beautifully.
The concept may feel a little dated on paper, but there is no doubting that we know and have probably met all these characters, and under Margaret Bennett’s skilful direction the writing comes to life with gleeful mischievousness.
Last of the Red Hot Lovers is, as it turns out, Chester Little Theatre’s 400th production (the company turned 60 last year) and what better way to celebrate than with this splendidly cast and beautifully crafted piece of truly vintage comedy?
The cast of Last of the Red Hot Lovers - Photo by Stephen Cain Photography
This review was originally written for publication by Good News Liverpool
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