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In Neil Simon’s darkly funny memoir of his family in 1930’s Brooklyn, fourteen-year-old Eugene is pre o ccupied by his passion for the Yankees and his lust for his beautiful cousin, Nora. Eugene’s comic growing pains contrast with the darker issues troubling his family: poverty, illness and the growing Nazi threat to relatives in Europe. Simon creates a Brooklyn universe full of memorable characters, humor and truth. A BBC co-production..
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Member Reviews
One of Simon's better plays, although not as drop-dead funny as many. It is humorous and poignant, tracing a few days in the life of a Jewish family in New York circa 1937 through the eyes of a young man not quite fifteen (to use the author's phrase). The family rings true, and the phrases used by the adults in this young man's world are amusingly right on the nose. The habit of the young man of breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the audience isn't something Simon used a lot; it worked for him here, giving it a sort of Glass Menagerie feel. I was fortunate to see a splendid performance of this at a local college theatre, and the performance remained very true to the script. There were a couple of typos that were show more problematic, as they placed the wrong character's name on a line, which had to be puzzled out before certain things made sense; that probably isn't a problem in other editions. show less
Maybe it's one of those pieces where you really have to see it performed live; as an audiobook performance it felt stilted and emotionless.
An excellent, excellent play. Fun and fast to read. Set in Brighton Beach and told by the younger son in the story, Eugene Brighton Beach memoirs depicts a typical Jewish American family and a typical teen coming of age at the end of the Great Depression (1937) facing issues of family, puberty and sexuality. Delightful!
Avery funny play, but also dramatic and heart-touching in the appropriate moments. The narrator's teenage perspective gives the play a lot of its humor and works well.
i only like the odd couple so i was pleasantly surprised here. quite funny.
This was good. This was really good.
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Author Information
112+ Works 5,883 Members
Marvin Neil Simon was born in the Bronx, New York on July 4, 1927. He attended New York University as an enlistee in the Army Air Forces Air Reserve training program. He continued his studies at the University of Denver while assigned to a base nearby. After his discharge from the Air Force, he worked as a clerk in publicity at Warner Bros. in New show more York with his brother Danny. Together they began writing television and radio scripts for comics. They also wrote weekly revues for Camp Tamiment, the summer resort in the Poconos. Simon went on to become a playwright. His first play, Come Blow Your Horn, was written in 1961. His other plays included Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The Sunshine Boys, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, Broadway Bound, and The Dinner Party. In 1991, he won a Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Lost in Yonkers. He adapted several of his plays for film. He also wrote original movies including The Out-of-Towners, The Goodbye Girl, and The Heartbreak Kid. He wrote the book for several Broadway musicals including Little Me; Sweet Charity; Promises, Promises; and They're Playing Our Song. He wrote a two-volume autobiography. He died from complications of pneumonia on August 26, 2018 at the age of 91. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Awards
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Is contained in
Has as a student's study guide
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1983
- Related movies
- Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986 | IMDb)
- Dedication
- To my parents, grandparents, brother, cousins, aunts, uncles, and especially to those who endured the pains, insecurities, fears, joys, love and fellowship of New York City in the Depression years
- First words
- "One out, a man on second, bottom of the seventh, two balls, no strikes . . ."
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Onward and upwards!"
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 445
- Popularity
- 68,389
- Reviews
- 7
- Rating
- (3.51)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook
- ISBNs
- 11
- ASINs
- 6
