BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS reviews

Variety is a Rave:

"Hats off to the farsighted producers of "The Neil Simon Plays" for taking a risk on their choice of director. While David Cromer's most recent New York hits, "Adding Machine" and "Our Town," mined piercing depths in timeworn texts, they did so in an austere presentational style that seemed a million miles from the warm-hearted humor of "Brighton Beach Memoirs." The first installment of a Simon double that continues with "Broadway Bound," opening Dec. 10, the revival strikes an exquisite balance between comedy and pathos, its impeccable ensemble landing every laugh while exploring every emotional nuance to build a tremendously moving portrait of family life."

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941446.html?categoryid=33&cs=1

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Agreed. And deservedly so. It's a wonderfully entertaining production; the best I've seen so far this season. And Cromer is really a great director. OUR TOWN has one of the most sensational directorial jobs I've seen in the last few years.

The Hollywood Reporter is Positive:

"...Although Eugene's monologues still score big laughs, much of the rest of the humor has been toned down, giving the play a somewhat more realistic feel even while paradoxically exposing its essential lack of depth.

Still, the evening largely works thanks in large part to the excellent ensemble. Robbins, whose credits include playing Max Bialystock in his high school production of "The Producers," is a real find as Eugene, managing to be touching and hilarious. Metcalf's harsh Kate takes some getting used to, at least until the actress slowly and cannily reveals the character's underlying vulnerabilities; Fontana is warmly engaging as Stanley; Boutsikaris is moving as the physically and emotionally exhausted Jack; Hecht, though sometimes mannered, is effective as Blanche, and Socha and Lawrence do fine in the relatively undeveloped roles of the daughters."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film-reviews/brighton-beach-memoirs-theater-review-1004030252.story

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The Associated Press is Positive:

""Brighton Beach Memoirs" was first seen on Broadway in 1983 with Matthew Broderick as Eugene. Now it's returned in an enjoyable revival, which opened Sunday at the Nederlander Theatre, with Noah Robbins, a gawky, thoroughly ingratiating young actor, as the play's narrator and anchor. Robbins' self-deprecating charm sneaks up on you as Jerome struggles to deal not only with his parents but the outside world as well.

You could call "Brighton Beach" a comedy-drama, a play peppered with amusing, often jokey dialogue alternating with poignant moments of personal confrontation and reconciliation. Yet the disconnect is not as disruptive as it could be thanks to David Cromer's smooth, seamless direction and an accomplished cast."

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=8913253

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USA Today gives the show 3 1/2 Stars out of 4:

"As a character in a Neil Simon play might observe, it has not been a great season for menschen on Broadway. From the haughty heroine of After Miss Julie to the ranting student and teacher in Oleanna, few leading characters in drama have aspired to the agreeability and overt decency suggested by that Yiddish word.

Under any circumstances, then, a revival of Brighton Beach Memoirs, Simon's portrait of a thoroughly endearing Jewish family in late 1930s Brooklyn, would be a welcome diversion. But the new production (***½ out of four) that opened Sunday at the Nederlander Theatre is a lot more than that."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/theater/reviews/2009-10-25-brighton-beach-memiors_N.htm

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I actually agree with Brantley here. Really wished someone else would have directed the return of this work. He really only seems to like the 2 boys, has quibbles with the direction, the play, and the adult actors.

Despite the fact that he liked some elements of the production, it will be hard to find many good pull quotes from that review.

Updated On: 10/25/09 at 09:41 PM

For what it's worth, Word of Mouth is a rave:


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That's certainly not true, Mr. Roxy, but the truth has never held you back, has it?

I may have to see this now. The only reason i haven't was because one thing I hate most is sitting in an empty Theater, the energy always seems to get lost in an empty theater. Hopefully the reviews will attract a bigger audience.

Sorry, my one go-round with this play (the original) was enough to last me a lifetime. Not even the so-far generally positive reviews would change my mind to avoid this one and BB like the plague.

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TheaterMania is a Rave:

"You can practically hear the ocean in director David Cromer's beautifully calibrated revival of Neil Simon's autobiographical 1983 play, Brighton Beach Memoirs, now at the Nederlander Theatre. Then again, even if you could, the sound of the waves coming to the shore would be drowned out by the noisy goings-on in the nearby Jerome household, where the Great Depression, the approach of World War II, and the dreams, longings, and troubles of this archetypal Jewish family are constantly colliding.

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Making an auspicious Broadway debut, Robbins exhibits the expert timing of a seasoned Borscht Belt comedian; but more importantly, he fully captures the now-almost-unthinkable innocence of a sheltered teenager who can't even imagine that a woman would volunteer to have a nude photo taken. The young actor also has fantastic chemistry with the superb Fontana, who marvelously embraces Stanley's man-child dichotomies.

True, the play no longer has quite the same impact it did in 1983, when it signaled a new maturity in Simon's writing. (How we will feel about the superior Broadway Bound, which will soon be presented in repertory with this play, remains to be seen.) Still, Brighton Beach Memoirs remains an accomplished, moving, and sometimes hilarious piece of writing. It's a play that is well worth seeing -- for the first, second, or third time. "


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