Brighton Beach Memoirs, which debuts April 3 at Neely Auditorium at Vanderbilt University, is a semi-autobiographical, bittersweet comedy recalling the years of Tony-award winning playwright Neil Simon’s family’s struggle in New York during the Great Depression.
This warm and witty coming-of-age comedy is narrated by 14-year-old Eugene. Eugene experiences puberty, sexual awakening and a search for identity as he tries to deal with his family, including his older brother Stanley, whom he idolizes, and his cousin Nora, whom he develops intimate feelings toward. Brighton Beach Memoirs celebrates family, friction and good old American fortitude.
“Brighton Beach Memoirs depicts the life of an ordinary American family struggling during the Great Depression – an issue uncomfortably familiar to many of us now in this so-called time of recession,” said Terryl Hallquist, director of the play and associate professor of theatre. “This award-winning play provides comical insight and refreshing positivism for these troubled times of salary freezes, personnel layoffs and budget reductions.”
The set design for the production embraces the idea of a family stretched to its limit, making do with what it has and working to make ends meet. The production elements will be constructed with what the Theatre Department finds in its stock, re-gluing and repairing broken chairs from storage and borrowing in order to piece together the essential prop list. Many of the costumes will be constructed from in-stock fabric or gleaned from thrift stores and altered accordingly to enhance Simon’s Depression-era characters.
Brighton Beach Memoirs will be performed at 8 p.m. April 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11 and at 2 p.m. on April 5. Admission is $10 for the general public, $7 for graduate and professional students and free for undergraduates with Vanderbilt identification. Tickets go on sale at the Neely Auditorium box office on March 30 at 10 a.m. Tickets may be reserved by calling (615) 322-2404. This play is intended for an adult audience and may contain adult language and situations.
Media contact: Missy Pankake, (615) 322-NEWS
missy.pankake@vanderbilt.edu