Stellar acting sells Drury Lane's 'Broadway Bound'

Posted June 19, 2011 11:00 pm

The Jerome family gathers for the radio debut of aspiring comedy writers Eugene and Stanley in Drury Lane Theatre's revival of “Broadway Bound.”

Audiences come to Drury Lane expecting musical spectacles.

Not this time.

The Oakbrook Terrace theater last set aside the orchestra in 2007 for Neil Simon's “The Odd Couple.” Once again, Simon has inspired Drury Lane to venture outside the medium that has fueled its artistic renaissance — this time with his semi-autobiographical 1986 play “Broadway Bound.”

The bittersweet dramedy that concludes Simon's Eugene Trilogy, which also includes “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and “Biloxi Blues,” chronicles the personal and professional evolution of Simon's alter-ego, Eugene Jerome, who discovers that unlike a classic radio drama, real-life rarely concludes tidily.

For all its humor — and there is plenty in David New's revival, much of it courtesy of octogenarian Mike Nussbaum's impeccable timing — “Broadway Bound” is serious in its examination of a disintegrating marriage, repressed emotions and strained familial bonds.

Set during the late 1940s, the action unfolds in the Jerome family's cozy, two-story home — an authentic-looking abode by designer Collette Pollard — located in Brooklyn's Brighton Beach neighborhood.

The likable Max Polski plays affable quipster and aspiring comedy writer Eugene. The kinetic Jason Karasev (whose performance suggests the growing desperation that underscores the relentless pursuit of success) plays Stanley, Eugene's ambitious older brother and writing partner. Their success comes just as their parents' marriage unravels.

Eugene serves as narrator for “Broadway Bound,” and it should be his story. But as agreeable as Polski is, he never manages to escape the considerable shadow cast by Nussbaum — endearingly irascible as his aging Socialist grandfather, Ben — and the willowy Carmen Roman as Eugene's mother Kate. Her wonderfully nuanced portrait of an emotionally guarded woman who recalls the whimsy of her youth without sentiment and accepts the reality of her middle age without complaint is impressive.

Also deserving mention is Paula Scrofano's brief cameo as Kate's sister Blanche, who disappointed their father by marrying a rich capitalist she loved.

Humor and pathos don't always merge, and the first act bogs down with back story. Yet Simon has crafted some exquisite dramatic moments. Among them is Kate (the redoubtable Roman) recalling a carefree evening 30 years earlier when she danced with actor George Raft and Nussbaum's Ben confronting Kate's husband Jack (the understated Richard McWilliams) as he's about to leave the family. In a production that seems to keep its audience at arm's length emotionally, those moments and the richness of Roman and Nussbaum's acting make this show worth seeing.

You don't miss the music at all.

Brothers and aspiring comedy writers Eugene (Max Polski, right) and Stanley (Jasan Karasev) struggle to make their deadline in Neil Simons Broadway Bound, running through July 31 at Drury Lane Theatre.

Mike Nussbaum plays an aging socialist whose daughter (played by Paula Scrofano) has married a capitalist in Neil Simons Broadway Bound.

Carmen Roman and Richard McWilliams play a couple whose marriage is crumbling in Drury Lane Theatre's revival of Neil Simon's “Broadway Bound.”

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Location: Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace. (630) 530-0111 or drurylaneoakbrook.com

Showtimes: 1:30 p.m. Wednesday; 1:30 and 8 p.m. Thursday; 8:30 p.m. Friday; 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday through July 31

Running time: About two hours, 30 minutes with intermission

Tickets: $35-$46; lunch and dinner packages range from $49.75 to $68

Parking: Free lot and parking garage adjacent to the theater

Rating: For teens and older

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