Brighton Beach Memoirs May 4, 2007

An American classic by an American classic. Based loosely on Neil Simon's own experiences as a teenager, 'Brighton Beach Memoirs' is set in a small, crowded home in 1937 Brooklyn where Eugene Jerome lives with his large, cantankerous family. As Eugene's father says, "If you didn't have a problem, you wouldn't live in this house." With humor, cleverness, and poignancy, this irrepressible adolescent bears witness as everyone around him copes with the hardships of the Great Depression and anxiously watches as Europe teeters on the brink of another World War. 'Brighton Beach Memoirs' debuted on Broadway in 1983 and won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play. The success of this production led to two more plays featuring the character of Eugene Jerome, 'Biloxi Blues' and 'Broadway Bound,' and established Simon's reputation as a premiere American playwright.