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Frank
Ferrante, well known both as a director and as an actor with a specialty in
the material of Groucho Marx, stays behind the scenes for this mounting of
the first of Neil Simon’s autobiographical trilogy of life in the home of
his parents in the Brooklyn suburb of Brighton Beach, just up the Long
Island coast from Coney Island.
Ferrante’s touch, his taste for comedy and his emphasis on energy is evident
as the gentle comedy draws more laughs per page than many productions of
many of Neil Simon’s plays produce.
Storyline: At 15, the would-be playwright introduces the audience to the
stories of his family in the days before the outbreak of World War II. His
father struggles with two jobs to make ends meet until a heart attack slows
him down. His mother is fiercely protective. His older brother tries to pull
his own weight holding down a job he hates and the men are outnumbered by
the women because his mother’s sister and her two daughters, one with
questionable health, have moved in with them.
The
cast demonstrates the strength of the pool of
Philadelphia talent as every one of the parts is well performed by a local
performer. Jesse Bernstein in the young narrator’s role is funny and
touching and energetic while Tom McCarthy sinks his teeth into the
nostalgically touching part of the father. Even when the theatre has to call
in a replacement in a key role, the quality of the production doesn’t
suffer. The night we attended the second cover for the important role of
Aunt Blanche, Dana Aber, went on. She delivered a fine performance with
quite a few deft touches.
There
are many ways to approach a Neil Simon comedy. One is to concentrate on the
human interest of the plot for he always has an intriguing story to tell.
Ferrante makes sure that the plot is never far from the spotlight. Of
course, with Simon’s continued use of narration addressed to the audience,
it is hard to wander too far from the plot. Another is to concentrate on the
individuality of the characters for a Simon show is always full of people
with interesting characteristics. Ferrante lets his cast have a field day
with the quirks and peculiarities of each part but guides them away from any
excesses that would come at the expense of the character’s sense of worth.
This is, after all, an affectionate portrait of people who Simon loved. A
third approach is to set up the gags and go for the greatest number of
laughs. Ferrante knows, however, that the best laughs come from affectionate
recognition and he keeps the temptation to ham it up for the gags under
control. As a result, the production is a successful balancing of the three
approaches.
Physically, the production is first rate. The towering realistic set
duplicates both stories of the Brighton Beach house with the two bedrooms
for the kids above the dining room. The back yard is the apron of the stage.
Costuming, lighting and set decoration / properties all contribute to a
sumptuous theatrical version of the real world perhaps more true to the time
and place than actual house Mr. Simon grew up in. There’s a “warmth of
memory” factor that is nicely applied in the work of the designers.
Written by Neil Simon.
Directed by Frank Ferrante. Design: David P. Gordon (set) Colleen McMillan
(costumes) Troy A. Martin-O’Shia (lights) Scott Smith (sound). Cast: Jesse
Bernstein, Tom McCarthy, Dana Aber, Ellen Tobie, Alyse Wojciechowski,
Jennifer Alimonti, Scott Greer. |
