Directed by David Cromer, Brighton Beach begins previews Oct. 2 and opens Oct. 25; Broadway Bound begins previews Nov. 18 and opens Dec. 10. Packaged by producers as "The Neil Simon Plays," the works will begin running in repertory starting Nov. 18, offering audiences the chance to see a teenage Eugene Morris Jerome tell his life-so-far story (in Brighton Beach Memoirs) and a twentysomething Eugene in his 20s complete the tale in the late 1940s (in Broadway Bound). Simon drew from his own family history to create the fictionalized autobiographical book-end plays of the trilogy that also includes Biloxi Blues, about his time in the Army in World War II. The three plays are interested in telling how writer Eugene (read Simon) developed as a storyteller over the years.
The David T. Nederlander Theatre is located at 208 West 41st Street in Manhattan.
Those who purchase preview tickets by Sept. 6 can do so for up to a 50 percent savings. Specially priced preview tickets, ranging $35-$50, are available for all performances except Saturday evenings (regular priced tickets are $65-$100). Tickets are also available at www.Ticketmaster.com.
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Brighton Beach Memoirs stars Laurie Metcalf (Kate Jerome) and Dennis Boutsikaris (Jack Jerome) with Santino Fontana (Stanley Jerome), Jessica Hecht (Blanche), Gracie Bea Lawrence (Laurie), Noah Robbins (Eugene Jerome) and Alexandra Socha (Nora). Broadway Bound stars Laurie Metcalf (Kate Jerome) and Dennis Boutsikaris (Jack Jerome) with Santino Fontana (Stanley Jerome), Jessica Hecht (Blanche), Josh Grisetti (Eugene Jerome) and Allan Miller (Ben).
Scenic design is by John Lee Beatty, costume design is by Jane Greenwood and lighting design is by Brian MacDevitt.
According to the producers, Brighton Beach Memoirs "centers on young Jewish teen Eugene Morris Jerome and his extended family living in a crowded home in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn in 1937: his overworked father, Jack; overbearing mother, Kate; his older brother Stanley; Kate's widowed sister Blanche and her daughters, Nora and Laurie. As Eugene spends his time daydreaming about a baseball career, he must also cope with his family's troubles, his awkward discovery of the opposite sex and his developing identity as a writer."
In Broadway Bound, "it's the late 1940s. Eugene and his older brother Stanley have started their careers as professional comedy writers, but at home in Brighton Beach, their parents' marriage is falling apart. When the brothers use these troubles as inspiration for a radio comedy skit, the Jerome family may never be the same."
Brighton Beach originally opened on March 27, 1983, at the Alvin Theatre and played for 1,299 performances. (During the run, the Alvin Theatre was renamed The Neil Simon Theatre.) Broadway Bound opened on Dec. 4, 1986, at the Broadhurst Theatre, where it played for 756 performances.
Simon is the winner of three Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Mark Twain Award for American Humor and was awarded a Kennedy Center Honor in 1995. Some of his plays include Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, The Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The Sunshine Boys, California Suite, Chapter Two, Lost in Yonkers, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, The Dinner Party and the books for the musicals for Little Me, Sweet Charity, Promises Promises, They're Playing Our Song and The Goodbye Girl.
Visit TheNeilSimonPlays.com.
