Open Wardrobes

Last night I was invited to attend the preview for Brighton Beach Memoirs at Lakeshore Players (which opens any minute now). It's a Neil Simon piece, but if you're expecting the laugh-a-minute comedy of Fools or The Odd Couple be advised that this is a drama, but a great one. It's the first in a trilogy that is loosely based on Simon's own life and as such the family drama really rings true. Previews can often be a bit rocky due to last-minute technical glitches and the like, but not here. The cast was clearly ready for an audience. They were solid all around, from teenage Eugene who offers commentary on his life straight to the audience, with a tinge of the always-blamed-for-everything child, to the nervous but ultimately strong widowed Aunt Blanche (and as I only knew a couple people in the cast and they didn't yet have programs I'll have to stick mostly to character names). Kate is fantastic as the overbearing guilt-is-my-most-powerful-tool mother, and Jack (Jim) as the overworked father trying to keep a roof over this extended family's head. Stanley (D. W. Surine) was nice as the older brother, trying yet not always succeeding at sharing the responsibility of supporting everyone, and Nora was excellent as Blanche's defiant daughter who deep down just misses both her dead father and distant mother. Lastly, Laurie (played by my Greenie daughter Ali) was wonderful as the delicate daughter who has learned to work her "illness" to her advantage. In a play like this that depends on us believing the relationships between these characters the strong acting was key and the whole cast delivers, though I thought that Blanche (who has the biggest character arc in the show) and Laurie were the standouts.


Clearly the cast benefited from strong direction by Brian Sherman, and the set that somehow packs an entire house on stage (and if you know the Lakeshore stage you'll know that's quite a feat) adds to the intimacy of this production. The show runs through October 4th, with 8 PM performances on Friday and Saturdays and 2 PM shows on Sundays (yes, that's right, I actually reviews a show before it's closed). I highly recommend this one, though be aware the subject matter and language are PG-13. 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.