[NEohioPAL] Review of Rabbit Run's "Broadway Bound"

[Bob Abelman]

Simon says much with 'Broadway Bound'

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times Courier

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review appeared in the News-Herald 6/12/09

 

For a man dubbed "The Patron Saint of Laughter" by Time magazine, it is surprising that the third of Neil Simon's trilogy of autobiographical comedies is not nearly as funny as the other two.  Gone is the abundance of one-liners built for belly laughs.  Gone are the hilarious, self-depreciating situations that are reflective of his signature sense of humor.

 

Therein lays the appeal of Broadway Bound, currently running on the Rabbit Run stage in Madison Township, which makes it a wonderful play and not just a wonderful comedy.

 

Set in the late-1940s, Broadway Bound finds the now twenty-something Eugene Jerome living at home with his family in Brooklyn's Brighton Beach area.   With his brother as a writing partner and his mother, father and grandfather as inspiration and subject matter, we are witness to the making of a comedy genius on the verge of becoming a professional writer for CBS radio.

 

And unlike Simon's other self-reflective plays, Broadway Bound is less about Eugene, played with incredible charm and energy by Brian Crowley, and more about the people that surround him.

 

There's his brother Stanley, played with wonderful comic timing by John Crowley, who is all ambition but light on talent.  There's his father, Jack, played with great sensitivity by Tom Milligan, who is a disconnected family-man with one foot out the door after a healthy 33-year marriage.  There's Ben, his increasingly frail and fatigued grandfather as played by the lovable and very funny Joe Petrolia.  There's his nouveau riche aunt, Blanche, who is nicely portrayed by Gail Steindler.   

 

Most important of all, there's his mother Kate, the true focus of this play and the hero in this story.  Simon has created a rich, fully developed embodiment of the traditional Jewish mother, who has singularly devoted herself to house and home, takes quiet pleasure in attending to the needs of others, and has self-sacrificed without complaint or regret.

 

Sandy Kosovich Peck is the marvelous actress who has captured the very soul and spirit of this iconic character.   Peck's dignified, endearing portrayal of a woman facing the ultimate upheaval-independent children, a faithless husband and a fading father-is a masterpiece of acting.

She is meticulous, always interesting without calling attention to herself, and never gives in to the temptation of sentimentality or drama.

 

She is wonderful.

 

Also wonderful is the attractive and detailed scenic design by Julie Harter, lighting design by Ray Beach and costuming by Karen Ziegler.  They nicely complement this production's fine performances.     

 

The best scene in the play, and a true testament to Ann Hedger's thoughtful and sensitive direction, comes in Act II when Kate reluctantly shares with Jerome the most memorable event in her life.

 

In a late-night confession, she recalls in extraordinary detail being a young girl who defied her parents' curfew, boldly danced with a movie star, and was the envy of all in attendance at the Primrose ballroom.  After its telling, Kate dances briefly with Jerome and, for a fleeting moment, we see the spark of the woman Kate long ago set aside. 

 

We also see the spark of the comedy writer Jerome will soon become, as he offers a running re-creation of Kate's story as if generating a theatrical narrative of the people in his life.

 

In turn, we are given a moment of insight into the making of Neil Simon and the very creation of this intriguing, must-see play.

 

Broadway Bound continues through June 20 at Rabbit Run Theater, 5648 W. Chapel Rd., Madison Township.  For tickets, which are $15 to $17, call 440-428-7092 or visit www.rabbitrunonline.tix.com.

 

 
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