Brighton Beach Memoirs

Brighton Beach Memoirs is a semi-autobiographical play by Neil Simon, the first chapter in what his known as his Eugene Trilogy. It precedes Biloxi Blues and Broadway Bound.

Characters

• Eugene Morris Jerome, almost 15
• Blanche Morton, 38
• Kate Jerome, about 40
• Laurie Morton, 13
• Nora Morton, 16 1/2
• Stanley Jerome, 18 1/2
• Jack Jerome, about 40

Act Summaries

Act 1: Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York, September 1937-6:30 PM
Act 2:Wednsday, a week later about 6:30 in the evening

Summary

Set in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn, New York in 1937, the coming-of-age comedy focuses on Eugene Morris Jerome, a Polish-Jewish teenager who experiences puberty, sexual awakening, and a search for identity as he tries to deal with his family, including his older brother Stanley, his parents Kate and Jack, as well as Kate's sister Blanche and her two daughters, Nora and Laurie.

Adaptations

Simon and Saks reteamed for the 1986 film version, which starred Silverman, Margulies, Blythe Danner, Judith Ivey, Bob Dishy, and Fyvush Finkel.

Awards and nominations

• Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play (Broderick, winner; Ivanek, nominee)
• Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Franz, nominee)
• Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (winner)
• Theatre World Award (Broderick, winner)
• Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play (nominee)
• Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play (Broderick, nominee)
• New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play (winner)

External links

• Internet Broadway Database listing
• Internet Movie Database listing
• Brighton Beach Memoirs at ThatTheatreSite