- Performances: 1,299.
- Open / Close: March 27, 1983 – May 11, 1986
- Theater: Started at the Alvin Theatre, which was renamed to the Neil Simon Theatre during the run of the show. It ultimately transferred to the 46th Street Theatre, which is now the Richard Rogers Theatre.
- Tony Awards: Nominated for 4 and won two. Matthew Broderick is the youngest actor to win in the Best Featured Actor in a Play category; he was 20 years old. Gene Saks won as Best Director, while Zeljko Ivanek or Elizabeth Franz, both nominated in the Best Featured category, did not win.
- Fun Fact #1: As mentioned in the podcast episode below, in the summer of 1983, the Alvin Theatre was renamed the Neil Simon theater, making Simon the only living playwright with a Broadway theater bearing his name.
- Fun Fact #2: Brighton Beach was the second longest running play of Simon’s career after Barefoot in the Park, which ran for 1,530 performances.
Podcast
Happy Hanukkah! Oh, and Merry Christmas, but to be honest, this is more of a Hanukkah-forward episode, only because “Brighton Breach Memoirs” is very succinctly the story of a Jewish American family, the challenges, foibles and laughs shared amongst the family members as they struggle through tough economic times in the 1940s.
For this episode, the holidays arrived just a little early because I got to reconnect with Jill Bari Steinberg, the amazing actress and wonderful mensh of a human being. JB played Kate Jerome, the matriarch of the Jerome family, in two productions at Virginia Repertory Theatre, first in “Brighton Beach,” and then later in “Broadway Bound.” Her insight and reflections on the show and its depiction of the Jewish experience are illuminating and the short trip down memory lane was a true treat for me, and I hope for you to listen to.
The result (I think) of my first interview with Jill Bari Steinberg can still be found out there on the Interwebs. And here’s the announcement of her being recognized as one of Richmond’s Top 40 Under 40.
Happy holidays, everyone! I’ll see you in 2025!