{"id":16864,"date":"2024-06-23T13:08:11","date_gmt":"2024-06-23T20:08:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/?p=16864"},"modified":"2024-06-23T13:24:11","modified_gmt":"2024-06-23T20:24:11","slug":"humor-of-its-time-come-blow-your-horn-canyon-theatre-guild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/?p=16864","title":{"rendered":"Humor of its Time | “Come Blow Your Horn” @ Canyon Theatre Guild"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Come\"\"If you mention the name Neil Simon<\/a> to the post-Boomer generation, you might get a blank stare. But Neil Simon was, in his time, one of the most prolific and popular playwrights around. In the theatre field, he had hit after hit: Come Blow Your Horn (1961), Little Me (1962), Barefoot in the Park (1963), The Odd Couple (1965), Sweet Charity (1966), The Star-Spangled Girl (1966), Plaza Suite (1968), Promises, Promises (1968), Last of the Red Hot Lovers (1969), The Gingerbread Lady (1970), The Prisoner of Second Avenue (1971), The Sunshine Boys (1972), The Good Doctor (1973), God’s Favorite (1974), California Suite (1976), Chapter Two (1977), They’re Playing Our Song (1979), I Ought to Be in Pictures (1980), Fools (1981), Brighton Beach Memoirs (1983), Biloxi Blues (1985), Broadway Bound (1986), Rumors (1988), Lost in Yonkers (1991), Jake’s Women (1992), The Goodbye Girl (1993), Laughter on the 23rd Floor (1993), London Suite (1995), Proposals (1997), The Dinner Party (2000), 45 Seconds from Broadway (2001), and Rose’s Dilemma (2003). He got his start writing for folks like Sid Caesar, working with folks like Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks. But today, you don’t see his shows around as much. Perhaps his style has gone out of style. That’s too bad, because his plays are really really funny (although definitely a product of their times).<\/p>\n

Canyon Theatre Guild<\/a> made the interest choice of producing his first successful play, Come Blow Your Horn<\/em>, this summer (in parallel with The Play That Goes Wrong<\/em>, which we saw a few weeks ago<\/a>) . Given that I’m in the process of reading a collection of Simon plays that includes\u00a0Come Blow Your Horn<\/em>, we added this show to our schedule (skipping You Can’t Take It With You<\/em>, at Group Rep)<\/a>, which alas we can’t fit in now). Last night, we went out to Santa Clarita to see it.<\/p>\n

CBYH tells the story of two brothers, both working at their father’s wax fruit business. One brother, Alan (age 30) moved into a bachelor apartment a few years ago. The play starts when his younger brother, Buddy (age 21) escapes the family and shows up on Alan’s doorstep. I won’t go into a lot more details, except that the play had a very sitcom feel to it. Not a surprise, given the times. Remember that before television, plays and films were the sitcoms of their day. Put people in a situation, let comedy ensure. We weren’t anywhere near peak TV. I think the theatrical comedy has evolved some, but it is still at its heart a sitcom. Characters often fit into broad categories: the business-driven Jewish father, the meddling Jewish mother, the partying bachelor, the neophyte younger brother. This makes is easier to get into the story. I think characters today are more nuanced, not as broad.<\/p>\n

Being written in 1961, there are elements that are cringeworthy today. The opening scene, with Alan pawing his date from upstairs, seemingly refusing her protestations, had that tinge of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” and had consent issue. Similarly with inventing characters to get someone laid, or sending girls to a business client to party. These were 1960s attitudes; I’m not sure they would fly today. We must understand this play is a product of the late 1950s and its mores\u2014and some of those mores are eschewed today. This is likely worth mentioning, just as the director had to describe the concepts of rotary phones and physical mail to the audience.<\/p>\n

The play also brought forward another realization: Being straightforward isn’t funny. Being passive-aggressive and scared is. Simon gets a lot of humor from the passive-aggressive parents, as well as from the fear the two sons have of them. Juggling lots of different things and dropping one or two of them is also funny. Again, that’s a common theme of this play.<\/p>\n

So is this play funny? Yes. Not quite as funny as\u00a0The Play That Goes Wrong<\/em>, but it is funny. It’s also worth noting the different quality of the humor.\u00a0Goes Wrong<\/em> is very much slapstick and visual humor that is basic. CBYH is a truer sitcom: the humor comes from the situation and the people, and how they react. If this was being filmed, you would have reaction shots.<\/p>\n

Director Barry Agin has assembled a talented cast, all of whom work well in their roles. I was initially unsure about Davern Wright (Alan), as he as a very unique vocal quality, but his performance won me over. They were a very strong ensemble.<\/p>\n

Come Blow Your Horn\u00a0<\/em>continues at Canyon Theatre Guild<\/a> through June 29. Tickets are available through the CTG Website<\/a>. It has one more weekend, and is well worth seeing. CTG has announced their 2024-2025 season: The Little Mermaid<\/em> at COC, The Rat Pack Lounge<\/em>, Things My Mother Taught Me<\/em>, Southern Fried Nuptials<\/em>, A Christmas Carol<\/em>, West Side Story<\/em>, Cats<\/em>, and two shows to be announed. Not much catches my eye, given my tastes in shows and what else is out there, although I’ll see what the TBAs are. Now, if they could do Cats in the style of the just opened Cats: The Jellicle Ball<\/em><\/a>, I’d be up there in an instant. That sounds like a wonderful reimaging of an overdone dance show. I’d also love it if CTG could do\u00a0A Mulholland Christmas Carol<\/em>;<\/a> the original version is overdone, and this musical version is so appropriate for Santa Clarita (and hasn’t been done in the Los Angeles area since 2012)<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

Come Blow Your Horn<\/em>. Written by\u00a0Neil Simon<\/strong>. Directed by\u00a0Barry Agin.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Cast<\/span>: Jacob Boscarino\u00a0Buddy<\/em><\/span>; Chandra Bond\u00a0Connie<\/em><\/span>; Courtney Beaver\u00a0Peggy<\/em><\/span>; Michael Collins\u00a0Mr. Baker<\/em><\/span>; Laurie Morgan<\/span>\u00a0Mrs. Baker\/alternate (at our performance<\/span>)<\/em><\/span>; Linda Sklov\u00a0Mrs Baker<\/em><\/span>; Davern Wright Alan<\/em><\/span>. I’m guessing whichever actress isn’t on for Mrs. Baker is on for Aunt Gussie. The dog is still missing in action.<\/p>\n

Production and Creatives<\/span>: John Alexopoulos\u00a0Co-Set Design<\/em><\/span>; Eduardo Arteaga\u00a0Set \/ Sound \/ Light Design<\/em><\/span>; Margo Caruso\u00a0Asst. Director<\/em><\/span>; Douglas Holiday\u00a0Co-Set Design<\/em><\/span>; Sandra Salvatori Floruti\u00a0Props \/ Set Dressings<\/em><\/span>; Keri Pierson\u00a0Stage Manager<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n

\u2666 \u2666 \u2666<\/p>\n

Administrivia: I am not a professional critic. I\u2019m a cybersecurity professional, a roadgeek who does\u00a0a highway site<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0a podcast<\/a>\u00a0about California Highways, and someone who loves live performance. I buy all my own tickets, unless explicitly noted otherwise. I do these writeups to share my thoughts on shows with my friends and the community. I encourage you to go to your local theatres and support them (ideally, by purchasing full price tickets, if you can afford to do so). We currently subscribe or have memberships at:\u00a0Center Theatre Group<\/a>\/Ahmanson Theatre<\/a>;\u00a0Broadway in Hollywood\/Pantages Theatre<\/a>;\u00a0Pasadena Playhouse<\/a>; and\u00a05-Star Theatricals<\/a>. We\u2019re looking for the right intimate theatre to subscribe at \u2014 it hasn\u2019t been the same since\u00a0Rep East died<\/a>\u00a0(it\u2019s now\u00a0The Main<\/a>, and although it does a lot of theatre, it doesn\u2019t have seasons or a resident company), and post-COVID, most 99-seaters aren\u2019t back to doing seasons (or seasons we like). I used to do more detailed writeups;\u00a0here\u2019s my current approach<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Upcoming \u2666 Theatre \/ \u2663 Music \/ \u25ca Other Live Performance \u2013 Next 90ish<\/em>\u00a0Days (\u2295 indicates ticketing is pending):<\/p>\n