Theater Review: Brighton Beach Memoirs

Fine Acting Brings Brothers to Life
By Lauren Yarger
Some terrific acting by Noah Robbins (at left) in his Broadway debut as Neil Simon’s alter ego Eugene Morris Jerome and Santino Fontana as Stanley bring to life the relationship between these brothers as well as the revival of Brighton Beach Memoirs on Broadway.

The cast is rounded out by Laurie Metcalf at the boys’ mother, Kate and Dennis Boutskaris as father, Jack, who works extra jobs to try to support his depression-era family as well as Kate’s sister Blanche (Jessica Hecht) and her two daughters Laurie (Gracie Bea Lawrence) and Nora (Alexandra Socha), the object of the boys’ lust and Eugene’s consuming quest to see a girl naked.

While the scenes between the two brothers are genuine, moving and seem spontaneous, rather than scripted the rest of the cast seems to be in search of director David Cromer to bring them together. Metcalf’s Kate has a lot of Jewish mother-type lines that are funny, but her harsh shell and seeming lack of affection for Eugene is so well developed, that we’re unable to penetrate it when she finally shows some vulnerability. Hecht is sweet as the shy and withering widow unable to make decisions on her own, but again, the transition doesn’t happen to make us believe it when she finally takes a stand.

The heart of the revival comes in those scenes where the boys are closeted in their bedroom (John Lee Beatty designed the two-story set) and the never-do-well (except in the eyes of his younger brother) Stanley gives advice to sex-obsessed Eugene. There’s obvious affection between the characters and a natural feeling which makes us feel like eavesdroppers. This part is really good theater.

Brighton Beach Memoirs has closed and the continuation of the story, Broadway Bound, which was to have played in rep with Brighton, will not go forward.

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