Review: Desert Theatreworks' 45 SECONDS FROM BROADWAY is Howlingly Funny

Desert Theatreworks' (DTW's) production of 45 SECONDS FROM BROADWAY is a hoot. Thanks to Lance Phillips-Martinez's imaginative direction and the Broadway-quality lead performances (backed by an able supporting cast), theatregoers are almost guaranteed to laugh their heads off.

45 SECONDS is one of Neil Simon's lesser known works, probably because it closed on Broadway after only 73 performances. It takes place in a slightly fictionalized version of the old coffee shop in the Edison Hotel, often known by its nickname, the Polish Tea Room, as opposed to the famed and fancy Russian Tea Room. The owners of the Café Edison, Harry and Frances Edelstein, two Jewish Polish-born Holocaust survivors, dispensed comfort food, sometimes at no cost for struggling actors, and turned the coffee shop into much more than a restaurant.

A few years ago, I stayed at the Edison on a sojourn to New York to get my occasional fix of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at the nearby Majestic Theater. I did not know about the coffee shop's being one of the few theater district eateries with bargain prices, and I skipped it. After seeing DTW's enchanting production, however, I feel as if I actually had been to the Polish Tea Room.

Neil Simon, one of the café's habitues, based his fictitious owners, Bernie and Zelda (Ron Young and Jannae Kleban), on Harry and Frances. Goodness knows which actual funny man inspired the main character, Mickey Fox (Arnie Kleban), the meshugga comic who turns everything into a joke, especially when the situation is anything but funny. Mr. Kleban (who previously played the Sid Caesar character in DTW's LAUGHTER ON THE 23rd FLOOR) doesn't so much act as transform himself into a sad screwball who is a master of bad taste. In the process, he repeatedly sends the audience into paroxysms of laughter. Mickey's debate with Bessie (the equally brilliant Keisha D), regarding whether it is permissible to tell racist jokes, funny or not, is a classic.

June August and Gregg Aratin, as Rayleen Browning, a woman with dementia and her silent husband, steal every scene in which they appear, assisted by Romeo, an adorable canine. Between the dog's frequent kisses on Mr. Aratin's face and failure to, ahem, be inhibited by having been neutered, it is clear that Romeo is aptly named.

Mr. Young, who knows how to assume the face of a bassett hound, and whose demeanor looks misleadingly as if nothing would fluster his deli owner character, gets into some priceless arguments with an aspiring playwright (Miguel Arballo), who values his honor but whose logic seems a bit twisted. The other two loony characters are Arlene and Cindy (Shirley LeMaster and Suzie Thomas Wourms), two Jewish housewives who love going to Broadway investor meetings, not to invest, but to see plays without having to buy tickets.

The other four members of the fine cast each do a wonderful job as foils for the goofy characters. Ed Lefkowitz is a British producer who would love to snare Mickey for a role, but doesn't have the money to pay him what he is worth. Brianna Eylicio is an aspiring actress with stage fright and a mixture of excitement and qualms about pursuing an on-stage career. Jannae Kleban (Arnie Kleban's real-life wife) plays the aforementioned Zelda, who serves (pun intended) as the restaurant's Jill of all trades. Stephen Kauffman is Mickey's serious brother, Harry, who has an inferiority complex about not being funny; neither Mickey nor Harry notices Harry's erudite wit, but I appreciated it.

Director Lance Phillips-Martinez is a practitioner of "movement theatre", in which choreography and carefully laid out stage business play a key part in non-musicals. Mr. Phillips-Martinez told me that the script for 45 SECONDS has few stage directions, leaving him free to add whatever he concluded would benefit the production. He and his husband, set designer and producer Ron Phillips-Martinez, designed the deli set to include an upstage window, behind which ancillary action takes place on the street; those who have ridden Disneyland's Star Tours will be familiar with the concept. My favorite 45 SECONDS window sketches are the ones with the teenager (Angus Feath) determined to spray paint the front of the building.

This production of 45 SECONDS FROM BROADWAY would not be so fabulous without the haimish set and Janelle Kauffman's costumes, including Mrs. Browning's unusual coat, which Mickey Fox quips was something he saw in THE LION KING. Heidi Hapner's hair and makeup designs also contribute heavily towards converting the stylish June August into Rayleen Browning, whose hilarious appearance is on the far edge of edgy. As always at DTW, the rest of the designers and crew members are at at the top of their game: Heidi Hapner (production coordinator), Phil Murphy (lighting designer), Jenny Ferguson (assistant stage manager and ensemble member pantomiming behind the window), Janelle Kauffman (stage manager), Claudia Gomez (props and production assistant), and Angus Feath (sound board operator and crew member, when he isn't spray-painting the building).

I do have one minor complaint: I am a stickler for regional, foreign, and ethnic accents, and some of them seemed off. However, this really is a nitpick - something that Mickey Fox might complain about when he's trying to be his usual pain in the neck self.

As Zelda or Bernie might say, "It won't kill you to make reservations and go. You'll laugh. You'll have fun. You can even buy a little nosh at intermission. Just don't crinkle the plastic during the show - oy vey!" Translating into standard English, go see 45 SECONDS FROM BROADWAY. You'll be happy you did.

45 SECONDS FROM BROADWAY runs through Sunday, February 5, 2017. Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm.

All of DTW's performances take place at the Arthur Newman Theatre, in the Joslyn Senior Center, 73-750 Catalina Way, Palm Desert CA, 92260. Tickets can be purchased online at www.dtworks.org, in person at the Joslyn Center, and by phone at 760-980-1455. General admission is $28, senior admission (ages 55+) is $26, and student admission (with i.d.) is $15. A package of six flex tickets, which can be used for any show during the season, up to a total of six tickets per package, are $144. Tickets for groups of 8-19 attendees are $22 each. Tickets for groups of twenty or more are $19 each. For further information, call the box office at 760-980-1455.

The rest of DTW's 2016-17 season consists of:

THE DROWSY CHAPERONE (March 9-19, 2017)
A theatre fan listening to the cast album of a 1920's Broadway musical finds himself in the middle of the story and becomes involved in the show's shenanigans.

NEXT TO NORMAL (April 21-30, 2017)
The musical about the perfect family - or not - that won the Pulitzer Prize and three Tony awards.

For information on DTW's educational programs, including KidsWorks, an upcoming, tuition-free program for those under 18, see www.dtworks.org. A Broadway World article on KidsWorks can be found at www.broadwayworld.com/palm-springs/article/BWW-Feature-Desert-Theatreworks-Plans-KidsWorks-a-Training-Program-for-Children-20160823.

For information on the Café Edison, see articles in the New York Times, http://nyti.ms/1 u3W91p, and the New York Daily News, www.nydailynews.com/life-style/real-estate/iconic-cafe-edison-replaced-friedman-comfort-food-article-1.2361429 .

Finally, despite the imminent expiration of DTW's lease at the Joslyn Senior Center, Ron and Lance Phillips-Martinez have neither received word whether the lease will be renewed nor been able to obtain information regarding its status. This circumstance has forced them to postpone starting the KidsWorks educational program and announcing DTW's 2017-18 season. Because of the length of time to negotiate a lease, even if DTW is allowed to remain in the current venue, future productions are in jeopardy. Ron and Lance are asking for letters of support from theatregoers. For more information, please consult DTW's Web page, at www.dtworks.org .

Photo Credit: Paul Hayashi

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