Broadway Bound is Long And Full of Angst At West Boca Theatre

By Britin Haller

Broadway Bound, now playing at the West Boca Theatre Company, is not a show meant to appeal to everyone, instead finding its supporters among those who enjoy thoughtful family dynamics, literary humor, and Neil Simon’s unmistakable voice. That audience was very much present on the night we attended, responding with warmth and laughter, and for them, the production offered a satisfying night at the theater.

For others, Broadway Bound made us wonder if the shelf life of Neil Simon’s trilogy of plays about protagonist Eugene Jerome growing up during the Great Depression and World War II is almost over. While Simon’s Plaza Suite and The Odd Couple will always be standards, we worry that future generations won’t embrace these anxiety-producing dramas of the guilt-ridden Jerome and his working-class Jewish-American family.

Not that there’s anything wrong with WBTC’s interpretation. The acting is top-notch (mostly), the set and scenic designs by Alan Nash, Mark Hernandez (who also stars as brother Stanley), and Director Holly Budney are lovely and era-specific, Budney’s costumes and music choices are 1949 Brooklyn-appropriate (love the sweater vests!), and the old-timey radio show, with voices by Anthony Rein, adds a lively touch.

So what’s the problem?

It’s long, angst-filled, and long and angst-filled. And we can’t even blame the pacing, because other than one mercifully brief scene where a particular actor needs work, everything flows smoothly. Length is the core critique with bits that linger sometimes way too long.

The actors are game, but they’re stuck inside a story that outstays its welcome. Since the script can’t be cut due to licensing restrictions, even strong direction can’t stop the slowdown in the last half-hour when any sense of momentum, or the hope of a satisfying conclusion, slips away. And plot-wise, there’s no big conflict unless you count career aspiration challenges, marriage problems, age-issues, or one character who’s considered to be too highfalutin’.

Not to mention Broadway Bound is dependent on mid-twentieth-century cultural reference points that will resonate with older audience members, but are likely to go right over the heads of anyone who doesn’t know who Sgt. Bilko is.

But still and all, there’s a lot to like, notably the acting. As the narrator and protagonist, Kole Rosin is perfectly cast as Eugene whose purity of heart, and dare we say innocence, jumps off the stage. Eugene is a magical thinker with romantic fantasies and aspirations of greatness that are constantly in battle with the real problems going on right under his nose. Fortunately, he has his brother Stanley to keep him groundMed.

Mark Hernandez, as Stanley, is mesmerizing. It’s hard to take your eyes off him, and not just because he’s not bad to look at, but because he commands every scene he’s in. Stanley represents a different response to the same convoluted environment they reside in. Where Eugene intellectualizes, Stanley counts the money they don’t have yet. He’s ruthlessly pragmatic with a one-track mind, constantly calculating how the duo can make it big in show business.

And yet, Stanley’s relationship with Eugene is touching and heart-warming. He really loves his less-grounded brother and wants them both to succeed. We’re calling them “the boys” because even though they’re in their twenties, they sleep in twin beds in rooms right next to each other. And there are sweater vests, and pictures of Babe Ruth on the walls.

As the much-needed comic relief, Mark Liebert as Grandpa Ben is a character you want to take home with you. When he disappears mid-play for an extended period of time, we found ourselves wishing for his return and breathed a sigh of relief when he popped back in. Despite moments of dementia, sometimes it seems like he’s the only sane person in the room. Liebert does a phenomenal job endearing the Jerome patriarch to us.

Alan Goodman is having quite a moment playing crotchety older gentlemen we find all over South Florida, and good on him. As the boys’ father, Jack, who may or may not be having an affair, Goodman unsettles us with his constant bitterness and quiet seething rage.

Our only note, and maybe Goodman is directed this way, would be to let the anger go a little more. Let us experience the decades of resentment he feels for being on the back burner in his own household spill out, because while your marriage of thirty-three years has been a ticking time bomb for a while now, we want to feel it detonating in the living room.

As the “boys” mother Kate, Francine Birns has been the Jerome’s emotional center for over three decades. She’s the caretaker, the one who lives to feed them, and is so in tune with each family member she can tell their exact temperature by touching their forehead. Birns is a powerful actor with great comedic and otherwise timing, enthralling the audience with her dignified power, and especially her extended monologue about the time Kate danced with the actor George Raft.

Surprisingly, we only see Eugene’s Aunt Blanche (Francine Friedman) for one scene, and a plot point about the sisters meeting the next day for lunch gets dropped. As it is, we don’t get to know Blanche, other than she’s a Fran Drescher caricature dressed in a mink coat and arriving in a limousine who irritates her family members because she’s up-town now. Didn’t see the point, and these scenes feel underdeveloped, disrupting the otherwise naturalistic tone of the ensemble.

We fully admit to not having seen the first two plays in the trilogy and consent that that may have skewed our perception of this, the last one. So our first question was does Broadway Bound stand on its own? Happily, that answer is yes, it can, and there is no need to have seen the first two to appreciate this one.

But on the other hand, while we applaud the tightly fleshed-out characters (other than Blanche) based on Neil Simon’s own upbringing, since we didn’t have the benefit of already considering Eugene Jerome a beloved member of our own family, there isn’t the care for the character that’s bound to come with having had followed Eugene’s coming-of-age journey throughout the years. So it’s a catch-22 (she says, cleverly inserting another coming-of-age story reference here.)

The first two pieces of the trilogy, Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues, were instant Broadway hits, primarily because who doesn’t love Matthew Broderick, including the Tony Awards who handed him their coveted statue in 1984. Broderick left the role of Eugene mid-Biloxi Blues and did not return for Broadway Bound as he was already hot stuff (Ferris Bueller, anyone?) in Hollywood by then.

Because Broadway Bound is from the legendary Neil Simon, there’s a part of us that feels like we’re supposed to be willing to linger longer than the material deserves. We must be the problem, we think. And maybe we are for not fully appreciating the history, instead of publishing a review that insinuates Broadway Bound should be a museum piece that’s trotted out only on special occasions.

Now don’t get us wrong, we’re not predicting the death of Neil Simon, rather just offering a public service announcement that with more entertainment choices than ever before, playhouses may want to think twice before hitting up Simon’s licensing agent on speed dial.

In the end, while this production of Broadway Bound is solidly done and crafted with care, its impact depends on how well you connect to Neil Simon’s world. If you grew up with his rhythms and references, you’ll likely embrace this nostalgic walk down memory lane. If you didn’t, bring a jacket because the theater was freezing the night we attended, settle back because it’s going to be a long (but not bumpy) ride, and enjoy your visit to the Smithsonian.

Broadway Bound from the West Boca Theatre Company runs through January 25 at the Levis JCC Sandler Center, 1050 95th Avenue S., Boca Raton (south of Glades Rd, west of Lyons, be prepared to present your driver’s license at the guard gate); 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays; 2 p.m. on Wednesdays and Sundays. Running time is approximately 150 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. General admission tickets starting at $40 for non-JCC members. Call 561-558-2520, or visit levisjcc.org.

Britin Haller is a journalist, editor-for-hire, and an author who serves on the board of directors for the Mystery Writers of America Florida Chapter. As a celebrity wrangler, Brit regularly rubbed elbows with movie, sports, and rock stars, and as a media escort, she toured with NY Times bestselling authors. After appearing in local musicals and all-state choir, Britin studied theater at Indiana University (a Big 10 college) and the University of Evansville (Rami Malek’s alma mater).