I recently saw the Vineyard Theatre's wonderful production of Billy and Ray, a new play that tells the story of how Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler wrote the screenplay for Double Indemnity, one of the great film noir movies of all time.
When my friend John contacted me, asking for show recommendations, I told him he would greatly enjoy this one. Then I went to the Vineyard's website and realized something: The play closes this weekend! See it while you still have a chance!
Mike Bencivenga, who is also known for improv comedy, wrote this delightful script. The production stars Vincent Kartheiser as Wilder, the Austrian expat who came to Hollywood to make some of the smartest films ever, including Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot, and One, Two, Three. Larry Pine plays Chandler, the brilliant crime fiction writer who penned such hit novels as The Big Sleep and Farewell My Lovely.
Needless to say, the two geniuses did not have the healthiest working relationship. Bencivenga's script mines this situation for all of its comic potential, and director Garry Marshall pulls the staging off beautifully.
It looks like the last couple of performances are already sold out, so hurry up and visit the Vineyard website here:
Vineyard Theatre
