Memoirs

Here we go again...

Every so often in this space I like to talk about theater, whether it's something I've seen or had a part in. This time, it's something I'm in. On June 13, Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs opens at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center. I have the honor of portraying Jack Jerome, the patriarch of the family. I am confident that this will be another excellent production at what is (in my admittedly biased opinion!) the best community theater in the area. Our director, Michael Swanson of nearby Elizabethtown College, has assembled a cast that I am proud to be part of. And his vision and direction of the show are insightful.

Playing Jack has been quite the adventure for me. For one thing, it's the biggest role I've ever had; the number of lines is a bit daunting—although it's a smaller load than some others carry. So that in itself is both exciting and a bit scary. But beyond that, it's been so rewarding to really engage this character. Jack Jerome is a man who really loves his family. I believe the same can be said of every character in the play; it's just that some of them play that out in different ways. Eugene, for example, complains a lot about his family. But he's a 14-year old kid. So that's to be expected. Stanley, Eugene's older brother, makes some serious mistakes through the course of the play, but he always has his family's best interest at heart.

Anyway, Jack is such a rewarding character for me to play. In some ways, we couldn't be more different. Jack is a Jewish father living in 1930's New York, after all. But we are alike in other ways. He tends to have a sarcastic edge to his sense of humor, for example. Hm. Sounds familiar! He loves his family more than anything. Although I don't have any children of my own, I do feel that way about my wife (love you, Joan!). And about my extended family, both biological and "adopted" (you know who you are!).

In fact, perhaps the most compelling thing about Jack to me is how he relates to his loved ones—including his sister-in-law and nieces now living with him. There's such a deep sense of connection among all these characters. I'd like to think that I would be the kind of father that Jack is. The conversations that he has with Stanley and Nora (the sixteen-year-old niece) almost bring me to tears sometimes. And kudos to Quinn Corcoran and Morgan Konopelski, respectively, for embodying those two characters to such a tangible degree.

So, please, if you find yourself in Lancaster County this June, check out Brighton Beach Memoirs at EPAC. I really think it's Simon at his finest, running from side-splittingly funny to heart-breakingly poignant. If you do, say hello to the guy in the pajamas.