Brighton Beach Memoirs

Pulitzer-prize-winning author Neil Simon has won three Tony awards, award-winning Hollywood hits, and now returns to his roots where it all began: Broadway with “Brighton Beach Memoirs.”  How bittersweet must that be?

What kinds of anxiety must Simon be facing, to again relieve his adolescence and early family life, spent with his meshuga family during the Depression and early years of World War II? What kinds of angst must Simon be facing, to see once again the ghosts of his childhood—his parents, his brother, his aunt, his cousins—represented on stage? What kind of distance from these events, both real and imagined–can this now-82-year-old author take, at this juncture in his successful career?

Since writing is his craft, and since we are lucky enough to revisit the “Jerome” family on stage at the Nederlander Theatre, we must answer those questions ourselves. Nachus is the word we use to answer—the Yiddish word for joy.

The story? Jack (Dad) is an over-worked, struggling-with-two-jobs father, who must take care of an over-extended family which includes his sister-in-law and her two daughters. Blanche has been widowed, and due to poor eyesight, cannot get a job. So, she and her daughters move into the Jerome manse. Kate (Mother) is controlling, sarcastic, manipulating and loving; in other words, the perfect Jewish mother. Eugene has just discovered girls, and is instructed in the “proper” etiquette by his older brother Stan. There just isn’t enough money to go around. (Shades of 2009). How does this family cope with lost jobs, heart attacks, gambling, the dreams of teenagers to go out into the world and make it on their own, sibling rivalry and the normal and abnormal problems all of us face when we don’t have enough money to stretch our existence?

“Brighton Beach” plays until November 18th, when “Broadway Bound” returns in repertory. What a wise idea to allow a new generation to witness his subtle wit, charm and empathy. What a smart idea to bring back these plays.

In this incarnation, all kudos must be reserved for the director David Cromer, also of “Our Town” directing fame. Instead of witnessing a television sitcom, where every bit of humor is played for a canned laugh, Cromer allows us to enter into the world of Eugene Jerome, a young adolescent, living in Brooklyn in 1938. We listen to his problems; we overhear his conversations; we are privy to his interactions with other family members. In other words, Cromer actually allows us to become part of this play—because the able cast actually speaks to each other—looks at each other–and we are lucky to overhear the conversations. We also marvel at this memorable set, by John Lee Beatty—actually furnished in 1938-chic.

Standout performances are given by Noah Robbins, as the young Eugene; Laurie Metcalf, as his mother Kate (remember her on “Roseanne?”); Jessica Hecht as Aunt Blanche, and Gracie Bea Lawrence as cousin Laurie. I must single out three actors, however, who make this play “sing”: Dennis Boutsikaris as father, Jack Jerome (I wish I had had an understanding father like he portrays); the vivacity of cousin Nora, as played by Alexandra Socha, and the maturity of Santino Fonta as brother Stanley. When you watch Mr. Fonta act, you are mesmerized, and actually forget you are sitting in a theatre with seats that are built for four-year-olds instead of adults.

Do we empathize with Neil Simon’s idealized family? Do we become immersed in this play, putting aside our discomfort at the seating to identify with the family’s troubles? You bet!

Go to the Nederlander Theatre and see the remembrances of a gifted playwright , and meet once again the ghosts of his family past. Embrace them as your own.