REVIEW
Bold cast, intimate set unite for powerful, polished ‘Brighton’

By MARK ARNEST THE GAZETTE

I had to pinch myself a couple of times during the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company’s production of “Brighton Beach Memoirs” — Neil Simon’s warm, poignant memoir of growing up in Depression-era Brooklyn.

It wasn’t to keep awake, but to be certain I wasn’t dreaming. “Brighton Beach Memoirs” is so smoothly produced and powerfully acted that it wouldn’t be out of place on the country’s top stages.

Much of the credit goes to the exceptionally strong and well-balanced cast, led by Marco Robinson, 15, as Eugene. Eugene represents a 16-yearold Simon, who’s obsessed with the New York Yankees and his cousin Nora. Robinson plays it as though he’s been Eugene his entire life, irritatingly smart and smart-alecky yet overflowing with pubescent anxiety.

But if Robinson is astonishing, so is just about everyone in this cast: Amy Brooks and Steve Emily as Eugene’s parents, Kate and Jack; Oscar Robinson — Marco’s real-life brother — as Eugene’s older brother Stanley; Jane Fromme as his Aunt Blanche; and Tina Ivlev and Sloan Brooke Lyons as his cousins Nora and Laurie. Alan Osburn’s understated direction holds everything together.

Poverty looms over this modest household, and strife comes thick and fast. Nora wants to quit high school, Stanley has been fired, Jack has a heart attack, Kate and Blanche quarrel — and Kate cooked nearly inedible liver for dinner.

As Jack, Emily comes across as Eugene/Simon’s hero — less for his almost suicidal work ethic than for the calm wisdom with which he defuses near-hysterical situations. Brooks, as Kate, is the family’s wet blanket.

Christopher Sheley’s set has a lot to do with making this the Fine Arts Center’s most enjoyable non-musical production in many years. Sheley built the set out from the stage, providing an intimacy that doesn’t come naturally to this space.

“Brighton Beach Memoirs” is one of Simon’s finest plays. The pacing and rhythm are flawless; the characters are strongly drawn; and the dialogue almost always rings true.

But though Simon writes some wrenching confrontations, the play ends too tidily. Simon pulls up short any time someone is about to do or say something unforgivable — leading to a mood akin to “Death of a Salesman” in which Willy and Biff reconcile and everything turns out fine.

But if “Brighton Beach Memoirs” isn’t quite a great play, it’s a very, very good play — and this fantastic production makes it a must-see experience. By the end, you care about everyone in this family — and you might even love them a little.

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The Fine Arts Center Theatre Company presents “Brighton Beach Memoirs” When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 28 Where: Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St. Tickets: $24-$29; 634-5583 or csfineartscenter.org