Time to See the Last of ‘Red Hot Lovers’

IRVINE —  Prolific playwright Neil Simon supplies stages around the world with his products, and they vary widely in quality.

The “Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” now in a revival at Irvine Community Theatre, underscores the disparity. (In its current program notes, the company states that “Red Hot” will probably be its final Simon production because “the playwright has priced himself out of the community theater market, or at least our segment of it.”)

A puritanical comedy about a married man in his mid-40s trying and failing to get in on the fun, it’s a lighthearted response to the sexual revolution of the ‘60s--a play very much of its era.

A lot of Simon’s ‘60s comedies, such as “Barefoot in the Park,” absolutely resist updating. (Exceptions include “The Out-of-Towners,” which is about to get a ‘90s movie make-over.) Thus, in a period touch, the second of three women (Sushila Sheryl Singh’s ditsy motormouth Bobbi) with whom our hero Barney (Charlie DeNatale) tries to fool around suddenly sings “Alfie,” a chart-topper of the time. Yet in this updating, references to Julia Roberts, David Letterman and the Osmonds crop up.

In modernizing this older play, Simon evidently failed to notice that the edition of “Last of the Red Hot Lovers” used in Irvine by director Sandy Silver is in a seriously puzzling time warp. It makes no sense for the playwright to change his original mention of Johnny Carson (subbing in Letterman) and keep the behavior in his play true to the era. (Barney, for instance, goes apoplectic--as no fortysomething guy today would do--when Bobbi lights up a joint.)

Nanci Fast’s assertive Elaine is Barney’s first attempted conquest, and she at least feels like someone who could live in the ‘90s: a sexually together middle-age woman who takes no guff. Jeanne Nelson’s frigid Jeannette is, on the other hand, completely artificial as written and played, a reminder that Simon loses it when he tries to go existential on us. DeNatale is restrained by the Barney character to be mostly reactive, and the comic energy onstage is dissipated as a result.

Torn between its ‘60s roots and a misguided desire to be hip, this is one item in the Simon cottage-industry catalog that may as well be taken off the market altogether.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

* “Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” Irvine Community Theatre, 1 Sunnyhill Lane, Turtle Rock Community Park, Irvine. Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends Saturday. $8-$10. (714) 857-5496. Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes.

Charlie DeNatale: Barney Cashman

Nanci Fast: Elaine Navazio

Sushila Sheryl Singh: Bobbi Michelle

Jeanne Nelson: Jeannette Fisher

An Irvine Community Theatre production of Neil Simon’s comedy. Directed by Sandy Silver. Lights and sound: Tom Titus. Stage manager: William Dunkelberger.