Broadway Bound [Paperback]

With 1986's BROADWAY BOUND, Neil Simon brought to completion the semi-autobiographical trilogy he began with BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS (1983) and continued with BILOXI BLUES (1985). For those coming to BROADWAY BOUND never having read or seen the two preceding plays, a bit of context is needed. Eugene Morris Jerome is Simon's alter ego in all three plays, while Stanley Jerome, Eugene's older brother, is Simon's older brother, the TV writer Danny Simon (who died in July 2005). Eugene is the protagonist/narrator of all three plays. BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS shows him struggling to find his identity among his large family in Brooklyn, New York. BILOXI BLUES depicts his first break with the family as he joins the Army. And BROADWAY BOUND, set in 1949, dramatizes a pivotal period in his life, made up of his efforts to launch, with Stanley, a comedy writing career - a career which would enable both him and Stanley to leave home permanently. As the decision to leave home is a major theme in BROADWAY BOUND, this comedy is arguably sadder in its tone than the two which precede it, or than nearly any other work by the playwright whose name has, in recent decades, become virtually synonymous with the term "Broadway comedy."

In terms of the Jerome trilogy, BROADWAY BOUND is a fitting culmination. It is an unusually complex comedy, alternating humor and gravity, and scenes involving three generations of family members: the elderly (Grandfather Ben), the middle-aged (Kate and Jack Jerome; Kate's sister Blanche), and the young (the sons, Stanley and Eugene). During the lengthy two acts, each character is "spotlighted" in turn: for example, Eugene in his monologues addressed to the audience and Kate in her long scene with Eugene in which she tells the story of how she once danced with movie star George Raft.

In terms of Simon's output up to 1986, BROADWAY BOUND is a culmination in that it includes elements of his previous comedies. Examples: Eugene and Stanley are, like Al and Willie in THE SUNSHINE BOYS, a show-business team whose real-life interaction is funnier than the material they produce (the brothers actually come to base their comedy sketches on their lives); like Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison, they are an "odd couple." BROADWAY BOUND can even be viewed as a tribute to American drama before 1986, since Simon's habit of emulating classic American plays is present in BROADWAY BOUND, which alludes unmistakably to both Clifford Odets' AWAKE AND SING! and Arthur Miller's DEATH OF A SALESMAN. Finally, BROADWAY BOUND was the play that changed many critics' opinions of Neil Simon, whom they had previously thought a superficial playwright; the play has even been called the finest of the 1980's. BROADWAY BOUND, then, is in several ways an important play, one which must be read and seen by anyone who loves American theatre.

I experienced this play long before I experienced the other two plays in the trilogy, and I was never lost or confused. It immediately became one of my all-time favorite plays -- so funny, so poignant, so true. It's sadness is part of its richness. Highly recommended.

Well, this may be a sad way to end the "light-hearted" series, but it's based on what happened to Neil Simon in real life. Easily the most poignant of the trilogy, and the best dramatic work. It's a pity this probably isn't going to make it to DVD, as people don't like "sad" with their "funny".