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Arts & Entertainment

Mainstage Brings Neil Simon Production to Blackwood

Tickets remain for two performances of "Brighton Beach Memoirs" next weekend.

Take two families, put them in cramped conditions under one roof during the Great Depression and what do you get? Brighton Beach Memoirs, Neil Simon’s award-winning blend of comedy and conflict. 

The semi-autobiographical production won two Tony Awards and ran for 1,299 performances upon its Broadway opening in 1983. Now, Mainstage Center for the Arts brings Brighton Beach Memoirs to Camden County College April 27 and 28.

The first of the Eugene trilogy, the production centers on the observations of 15-year-old Eugene Jerome (Jake Horner, of Cherry Hill), who dreams of baseball and girls. His reality involves living in a lower-middle class neighborhood, Brighton Beach, NY, with an overworked dad, overbearing mom, arrogant brother, an aunt, plus two cousins. Tensions rise between his mom, Kate (Debra Faye, of Cherry Hill), and Aunt Blanche (Cathy Fichera, of Mantua). Blanche and her teenage daughters, Laurie (Elisabeth Siegel, of Cherry Hill) and Nora (Meghan Mucciarelli, of Washington Township), moved in a few years ago due to Eugene’s uncle’s death.

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Eugene’s father, Jack (John Kauffeld, of Washington Township), feels overwhelmed trying to provide for so many. The family is Jewish, so he also worries about relatives living in Poland as the Nazis are on the rise. Eugene’s older brother, Stanley (Brendon Figueras, of Washington Township), could help the family out financially, but his hot temper and love of gambling stand in the way. 

Brighton Beach Memoirs is directed by Cherry Hill resident Brad Cain, who said, “Through both its light comic moments and dramatic confrontations, the play reminds us that even when we have our own individual problems to deal with, we do whatever is needed to help support and love our families the best way we know how.

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“I am very blessed to be working with this talented group of artists. Each one of them, from the most experienced to the least experienced, is bringing such a heart and realness to their roles. I hope audiences connect with the humanness of these characters and the changes they encounter throughout the play."

Cain is the artistic director for The Salvation Army KrocArts Institute, of Camden. He has directed numerous productions including Godspell, Noises Off, and You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown.

“Brad’s been involved in Mainstage productions, both as an actor and behind the scenes. He’s very creative and, fortunately, able to deal with curve balls thrown at you in theater,” said Ed Fiscella, Mainstage Center for the Arts' co-founder and producing artistic director. “We had originally scheduled The Odd Couple at this time, but were confronted with a licensing conflict. However, we still wanted to provide audiences with a production from Neil Simon, America's most prolific playwright, as part of this season. Both Brad and I were thrilled to be able to pick up Brighton Beach Memoirs, one of Simon's finest works.”

Brighton Beach Memoirs runs April 27 and 28, 8 p.m. at Dennis Flyer Theatre, Lincoln Hall, Camden County College. Tickets are $18 and 21 for adults and $15 for children under 12. To order, please visit mainstage.org or call 856-227-3091.

The show and Mainstage’s season is sponsored by Comegno Law Group, PC.

 

Editor's note: Stacy Napolitano is the public relations professional for Mainstage Center for the Arts.

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