The Optimist (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 95, No. 3, Ed. 1, Friday, September 1, 2006 Page: 10 of 12

                                
ArtsEriday
Parte
Septeabe? 12806
'Brighton Beach' tackles teen angst with enthusiasm
MlNMMlfaMNNMi
'fNpVJlMlfkM
yMBTBAVB
ComMMfflNO WUTEX
NellSlmon'sBrighfonBeach
Memotrs succeeds as one of
the most accurate portrayals
of puberty ever written.
Our protagonist Eugene
Morris Jerome finds him-
self in that most awkward of
transitions caught between
the worlds of adolescence
and adulthood. On the one
hand he still has Innocent
dreams of joining the New
York Yankees. On the other
hand he's starting to no-
tice girls and his newfound
sexuality leaves him both
happy and confused as all
logic begins to fade.
Eugene admits to the
audience that if he had to
choose between a tryout
with the Yankees and seeing
a girl naked for two-and-a-half
seconds he would have
some serious thinking to do.
The story takes place in
NMIKMOTCHEFFHOTDQfWHER
Undsey Lehrmann as Nora teds the family Laurel Slow as Laurie Kate Eason as Blanche Donna Hester as Kate
Jay Reese as Eugene about her new Broadway aspirations after being offered a chance to audition for a broad-
way show during the Aug. 22 dress rehearsal In Fulks Theatre.
Brighton Beach N.Y. in
1937. Eugene lives in a small
house with his parents his
brother his aunt and two
cousins. Stress lies at every
corner as multiple problems
emerge at once. Eugene's
cousin Nora wants to quit
school and become an ac-
tress. His brother Stanley
wants to quit his job. His
father was recently fired from
his job and in a world where
there's no money to spare
everyone finds themselves
somewhat responsible for the
madness.
As for Eugene he just wants
to grow up peacefully but
comes to realize that a peace-
ful transition Into adulthood
probably isn't in the cards.
This production of Brigh-
ton Beach Memoirs strikes and
maintains the perfect tone. The
performers are all solid most
notably Jay Reese as the lead
character Eugene. He achieves
the level of contagious energy
that the part demands making
his character instantly likable.
He does a great Job conjuring
up both the delights and angst
of adolescence. All contribu-
tors to the small cast seem to
fit their parts like a glove so
that the play needs almost no
Introduction; the audience is
on board from the start.
Another factor contribut-
ing to the overall bellevablllty
is Travis Eason's wonderful
set design. The set almost'
functions as a character it-
self. The interior of the two-
story house seems so real
that it almost goes unnoticed
and I occasionally found my-
self forgetting that I wasn't
sitting In on a real family.
The beautiful structure helps
enormously in captivating the
audience and the intimate
nature of the Fulks Theatre
really lends itself to a house-
hold setting.
All of Nell Simon's plays
demonstrate a masterful un-
derstanding of the subtleties
that make life funny.
Eugene talks openly with
the audience throughout the
play and we get the sense that
he can't quite grasp why his
situation is fodder for come-
dy. Almost everything he says
merits a big laugh but it's only
because we've all been there.
We remember what the world
looked like through that dis-
torted pubescent lens. While
humor abounds there are
also i some extremely serious
themes at work and there's
much less to laugh at during
the second act.
Still even the heavlnessiof
the drama has a real heart
and we find ourselves smiling
during even the most-serious
moments. Whenever someone
uses the old adage "I guess
you had to be there" .they
generally mean there's truth
and value in the little things
those moments that can't be
described. Neil Simon knows
exactly how to describe them.
It's no coincidence this play
is set on the eve of World War 1
Brighton Beach Memoirs is the
first of a semi-autobiographical
trilogy so the setting fits within
Neil Simon's own life story but
the date holds more signifi-
cance than that.
In 1937 everything was un-
certain. The world was prepar-
ing to fight its second major
war within a single generation
and it wasn't an easy time to
be a struggling Jewish family.
The future looked enormously
bleak yet there were still things
to laugh about.
Kids still had dreams and
parents still had hopes for
their children. The whole world
seemed to be crumbling and
while the War certainly had
great significance the battles
fought within our own homes
are the ones that ultimately
make life worth living.
When Stanley approaches
his father to tell him of his de-
sire to quit his job he catches
his father listening to the eve-
ning news on the radio. "Can
I talk to you a minute Pop?"
he asks. "It's something really
important."
His father seems agitat-
ed. "More Important than
what's going on in Europe?"
"It's not more important"
Stanley responds.
"It's Just coming up sooner."
Gross statistics for Broadway
stows for trw week of Aug 21-27
based on attendance percentage
and provided bypjbf com.
Attendance percentage In
The History Boys: $707204
(100.994)
JerseyBoys:$1118583 
(100.7) -
Wicked: $1424998 (1000)
The Color Purple: $1 1 28988
(994)
Mamma Mai: $915356
(99.2)
Avenue O: $413985
(97.1)
The Uon King: $1188417
(985)
Chicago: $747331
94.8)
Spamalot $923503
(90.7)
The Phantom of the Opera:
$763752(88.9)
The 25th Annual Putnam
County Spelling Bee: $287569
(868)
Beauty and Beast: $815205
(838)
Purchase tickets by call-
ing 325-674-ARTS (ext. 2787)
Monday through Friday 1 p.m.
to 5 p.m. The production plays
Sept. 1-2 8-9 In the Fulks The-
atre. DinnerShow is $25; Performance-only
is $13.
Tickets may be charged to
your ACU account. Student
Rush provides half-priced
tickets (performance-only) on
the day of the show1 after 6
p.m. for ACU students with a
valid ID.
'JlU'Jijll
THE CAMPUS
S'T-O'R'E
Save time save money save gas.
With our inventory of new and
used books right here on campus
you won't have to lose any more
sleep this week.
We're open Mon-Fri 7:30-5:30
& Sat 10:00-2:00 to serve you
or visit us online at:
campusstore.acu.edu
the campus store is also your one slop for;
Xcingular
r(.FiJ
clearw're'
wirtlf is broadband
Don Met
fpwtihnnk
shbipipiing
WiDeunn
irc.W!BfiaBBBBp- w-l .BBBBBE9aV
"b tr alaaaBBBBBMSf
-iil.'V1C3TBBBBBPPy . t.Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaa)'i.
'WBbbEmm . UaBBBBBBBBBLjtf
'JyffiVj irTTTP .' jBVVBBBBBBBBBBBBBmLly -i.u
jmmt Pj.BBBBBBBBBBL BPL """i-laV
' HHRHHu JfiBaNBBB
K