Parkside Theatre at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside proudly presents Neil Simon's acclaimed comedy "Brighton Beach Memoirs." This autobiographical coming-of-age play is scheduled for seven performances Oct. 23-31.
The university's Communication Arts Theatre stage is transformed into a crowded Depression-era Brooklyn apartment, home to 15-year-old Eugene Jerome and his extended family. Eugene dreams of girls and of playing baseball for the New York Yankees but he is about to discover his true calling.
"The play is about two weeks in 1937 where Eugene discovers who he is and goes from being a boy to being a young man who realizes he has a gift for writing," said director Dean Yohnk. "He takes it upon himself to write down the life-changing events that are occurring in his family and share them with the audience."
The play is filled with what Yohnk calls "powerful moments of humor and drama," adding that the Brighton Beach of 1937 has many similarities to present-day America. Both are times of severe economic problems, both eras are shadowed by war, and Eugene's family faces health care issues when his father works himself into a heart attack. The timeliness of "Brighton Beach Memoirs" is emphasized by the fact that a revival of the play opens on Broadway the same week it premieres at UW-Parkside.
"The play makes us laugh at times and at other times it makes us think about life's more serious events. That's what makes it (Simon's) most successful and most admired play," Yohnk said.
"Brighton Beach Memoirs" features Chad Bay as Eugene, Ryan Shaw as his brother Stanley, Amanda Thomm and Andrew Beine as his parents Kate and Jack Jerome, Allison Hipple as Jack Jerome's sister Blanche Morton and Eva Balistrieri and Erika Lamp as Blanche's daughters. Transformation of the stage to 1937 Brooklyn is courtesy of set designer Keith Harris.
"Brighton Beach Memoirs" is presented Oct. 23, 24, 29, 30, and 31 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. and Sunday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m. in the Communication Arts Theatre. Tickets are $15 for adults, $11 for seniors, and $7 for students and can be ordered online at www.uwp.edu keyword: tickets or by phone at 262-595-2564.Publish date: 10/6/2009
