Theater Review: Bunk Bed Brothers

by April Powell

Bunk Bed Brothers, a lively two-act portrait of brotherly love and loathing, opened its limited engagement at the Eisemann Center Thursday evening. Judging from the audience's loud, appreciative laughter, I think they'd say the show was well worth the trip out on a potentially stormy weeknight.

That the audience would risk a possible hailstorm to see Bunk Bed Brothers says a lot about the credentials of its writer/directors, Matt Goldman and Pat Hazell. Both worked as writers on the series Seinfeld, and a wide array of other tv series and sitcoms. Hazell (who now lives in Austin) also produces and appears in the play. As a stand-up comedian and magician, Hazell opened for Jerry Seinfeld on tour before serving as his tv studio audience warm-up for over 75 Seinfeld episodes.

Bunk Bed Brothers has its own credentials, too. The play was originally workshopped in Minneappolis in 1987, and a bidding war for the movie rights started after the play's 1991 Los Angeles production. Four screenplays were reportedly completed before the project entered "development hell" and the movie rights lapsed. Bunk Bed Brothers was then optioned by NBC, to create a comedy series based on the play. Six episodes of the show were made, under the name American Pie (no relation to the later movie of the same name). But the episodes were shelved after a change in management at NBC.

Regardless of its failure to make it on the big or small screen, Bunk Bed Brothers does quite well as a stage production. The subject of the play is the relationship between two brothers, Pat Archer (played by Hazell) and Matt Archer (Brian Page). Older brother Pat is the grasshopper to Matt's ant: Pat is charming and fun-loving but his "bagel hole" business is going nowhere and he's so deep in debt that he can't afford health or auto insurance. Matt, on the other hand, is responsible and happily married, with a successful writing career. But Matt's lingering fear of the "monster" in the boys' closet reveals his deep-seated insecurities. These differences in character fuel the brothers' squabbles and antagonism throughout the play.

The play is set in the Archer brothers' shared childhood bedroom, where they're staying while they attend their grandparents' 75th wedding anniversary. The bedroom set is like a time capsule, filled with furniture, toys, games, and posters that will be very familiar to anyone who grew up or raised children in the late 1960s and 70s (be sure to look for the blacklight graffiti any boys' bedroom of this vintage must have).

The set and period props embody the nostalgia and memories that keep the Archer brothers' relationship essentially loving, despite all of their jabs at each other. Some of the show's best moments are when the brothers quit trading insults long enough to go crazy playing with all of the toys. Those segments had a very improv-comedy quality and added to the fast-paced feel.

Also helping keep the production lively is familiar character and Shakespearean actor Clive Rosengren (Ed Wood, Soapdish, Cheers, Home Improvement), playing the Archer brothers' Dad, Art. His numerous brief appearances keep the action of the play moving and provide another comic foil for the bickering brothers. A fourth player also makes a brief surprise appearance in the production. I won't spoil the surprise, but I will say that the role is a showcase for up-and-coming local talent.

On the whole, Bunk Bed Brothers is a funny and accessible play. Although it does not seem to be marketed to kids (I did not see anyone who looked under 16 in the audience, anyway), I would say that it is definitely a show that families would enjoy. Kids over 7 or 8 years old would enjoy the brothers' more juvenile bickering, and I don't recall any humor that was more than a mild PG level. The 90-minute running time and fast pace also make the show great for fidgety types. But act fast -- after this weekend, Bunk Bed Brothers will be leaving the bedroom.