STEAMBATH (1973) ¢ ¢ ¢ 1/2
D: Burt Brinckerhoff
Bill Bixby, Jose Perez, Valerie Perrine,
Stephen Elliott, Neil Schwartz, Patrick Spohn,
Herb Edelman, Kenneth Mars, Peter Kastner
A Hollywood Television Theatre production of Bruce Jay Friedman's play about some characters hanging out in a steambath, which turns out to be a waiting room in the afterlife. They come in one door and go out another. There's no turning back. One of these souls, a writer played by Bill Bixby, doesn't think he belongs there and decides to argue his case, but God - a Puerto Rican bathhouse attendant with a whimsical sense of fun - won't be easily persuaded. A clever idea that maybe works better on a stage where a live audience can react to the punchlines and show-stopping bits. Even without that, it's a funny, inventive theater piece. The gay couple played by Neil Schwartz and Patrick Spohn are scene stealers, and if Valerie Perrine parading around in a towel (and briefly without one) doesn't steam up your spectacles, I'm not sure what would.
Bruce Jay Friedman
(1930-2020)
