Brighton Beach Memoirs
is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon, the first chapter in what his known as his Eugene Trilogy
. It precedes Biloxi Blues
and Broadway Bound
.
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BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS TICKETS
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Characters
- Eugene Morris Jerome, almost 15
- Blanche Morton, 38
- Kate Jerome, about 40
- Laurie Morton, 13
- Nora Morton, 16 1/2
- Stanley Jerome, 18 1/2
- Jack Jerome, about 40
Act summaries
Act 1:
Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York, September 1937, 6:30 PM
Act 2:
Wednesday, a week later, about 6:30 in the evening
Summary
Set in the
Brighton Beach section of
Brooklyn, New York in 1937, the
coming-of-age comedy focuses on Eugene Morris Jerome, a
Polish-
Jewish teenager who experiences
puberty, sexual awakening, and a search for identity as he tries to deal with his family, including his older brother Stanley, his parents Kate and Jack, as well as Kate's sister Blanche and her two daughters, Nora and Laurie.
Movie Adaptation
Simon and Saks reteamed for the 1986 film version, which starred Silverman, Margulies,
Blythe Danner,
Judith Ivey,
Bob Dishy, and
Fyvush Finkel.
Broadway Revival
A Broadway revival, directed by
David Cromer, will open this fall at the Nederlander Theatre. Headlining the show are
Laurie Metcalf as Kate Jerome and
Dennis Boutsikaris as Jack Jerome, with
Santino Fontana as Stanley Jerome,
Jessica Hecht as Blanche, Gracie Bea Lawrence as Laurie, Noah Robbins as Eugene,
Alexandra Socha as Nora. The production begins previews October 2, 2009 and opens October 25, 2009 and will run in repertory with
Broadway Bound, which will feature the same cast with the exception of
Josh Grisetti, who will assume the role of the "older" Eugene and Allan Miller playing the role of Ben. The two plays are being produced as
"The Neil Simon Plays".
Awards and nominations
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Broderick, winner
; Ivanek, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Franz, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (winner
)
- Theatre World Award (Broderick, winner
)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play (Broderick, nominee)
- New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play (winner
)