Geva seems committed to producing Neil Simon’s “BB” trilogy
of autobiographical plays, starting this year with a splendid January
production of Brighton Beach Memoirs and
now topping that with a flawless Biloxi
Bluesto open the fall season.
Both cast Dennis Staroselsky as Simon’s alter ego, Eugene Morris Jerome. I hope
to see him next year in that role in the third comedy, Broadway Bound.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Autobiographical,
these three plays mix bits of the playwright’s own life with fictional
embellishments, just as they mix some of his warmest comedy with more honest
depth of feeling and thought than we find in his earlier gag-filled hit shows.
They are also rich in period flavor, a quality that Tim Ocel has nailed
perfectly in the two that he’s directed thus far. Ocel has also softened the
hard edge of the original Broadway production of Biloxi Blues to bring it an unsentimental but affectionate
nostalgia that is very endearing.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย At the end of the play, Eugene
speaks of their departed antagonist, the mad disciplinarian Sgt. Toomey. He
notes that they actually miss him and says, “One should never underestimate the
stimulation of eccentricity.” Lou Sumrall hasn’t the vocal chops to match the
1985 Broadway original, Geneseo graduate William Sadler’s dynamic, stentorian
Toomey. But Sumrall’s virile sergeant is also intimidating and an honest, complex
person — unfairly competitive and punitive, but basically decent. And he
avoids the creepy psychosis of Christopher Walken’s weird portrayal in the 1988
film.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Playing off
him ideally is Fred Berman, who embodies the equally unbending, intellectual, Jewish
gadfly Arnold Epstein as well as I’ve seen the role handled. Berman gets the
annoying, witty, and laughably nerdy qualities of Eugene’s best friend in the
army while never losing the innate strength of character that makes Eugene
admire him.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย I liked
Coleman Zeigen’s layered performance in Lobby
Hero last season. And as Wykowski, Biloxi
Blues‘ racist dumb hunk, he again offers a nifty transition when, stealing
and reading Eugene’s memoirs that call him a stupid animal, he tries to
maintain his tough anger but softens in surprise when he comes to Eugene’s
comments about his bravery.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย In fact, I
like everyone in this cast. Sam Misner is priceless as the insecure Carney, who
feels impelled to drive his platoon-mates crazy with constant crooning. Michael
Hogan handles Selridge’s mood swings with just a hint of danger. And Jim Butz
keeps Hennesey under stone-faced control when his secret is exposed, until he
bursts into tears with heartbreaking suddenness. Helen Mutch is a droll, savvy
prostitute in Eugene’s funny losing-virginity scene. Ivy Vahanian makes
Eugene’s first love a sweetly realistic daydream in another scene that is
played more touchingly than I remember it.
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย And in the
narrator-protagonist-spokesman-autobiographical role (which I describe that way
to show that he carries these plays on his back), Staroselsky doesn’t hit a
false note. His accent and manner are right for Eugene. He’s got Simon’s comic
rhythms down pat. And he seems to have matured a lot more than eight months
since he played Eugene here in Brighton
Beach Memoirs (mostly an indication of how much younger he had to play in
that one).
ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย B. Modern
clothes everyone to look right for 1943. Kendall Smith’s lighting is especially
evocative throughout. And Gary Jacobs’ atmospheric sets move from interiors of
trains and barracks to a U.S.O. dance to a hilarious little decorated shack
which quivers and bobs while the boys wait for Wykowski to finish with the
prostitute inside. Simon describes the scene as “a small, tacky room in a cheap
hotel,” so I assume that this giggle was created by Ocel and Jacobs. It’s one
of many in this topnotch revival.
Biloxi Bluesby Neil Simon, directed by Tim Ocel, plays at Geva Theatre
Center, 75 Woodbury Boulevard, Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m.,
Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. through
October 5. Tix: $15-$47.50. 232-4382,
www.gevatheatre.org.
This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2003.
