Brighton Beach Memoirs opens our 2012-13 season this Friday!!! Here are some thoughts from the director Paul Kerrigan!
General thoughts from
the director’s chair
As Brighton Beach Memoirs gets ready to
open, I haven’t really had a chance to reflect on the process of mounting a
Neil Simon classic production. I
understood the expectations from those who have seen the production on stage on
in the movies. A line or a moment from
the script or screenplay has gone forth with these folks, who I hope will come
back to see how funny or endearing this family story remains.
My experience of rehearsals has been infused with laughter. I find the cast and crew just adorable, and
if I could find room in my apartment, I’d take them home with me. Did you know they are creating a backstage
music video? They already have posted a
blog. (Behind Brighton Beach http://pcsbrightonbeach.blogspot.com)
They take care of one another. They do not complain….ever (at least not to
me). They are truly funny people. Not stand-up comedian funny, but genuinely,
fascinatingly funny. As a group, they
just make me laugh because they freely express their human nature. Even though we’ve worked really hard, it
doesn’t feel like it. I guess that’s
where the audience comes in to play.
The magic of live theater for me breathes in the interaction
between the audience and the stage. How
the audience receives the story acted out on stage actually changes it. Consequently, no two performances will be the
same, especially in a comedy like this play.
We’re almost done our work. Now
we invite the audience to join in the alchemy of the imagination. Together we will invoke the creative spirit
to manifest precious moment after precious moment. We laugh.
We cry. We listen with our
hearts. Take a talented cast and crew
and a brilliant evocative script, and you end up with a great production on
display before you.
The Biggest Challenge
The biggest challenge during the rehearsal process was
keeping the actors fresh. Consequently,
we rehearsed in spurts. We rehearsed in
the middle of July, then took a break.
We rehearsed in the beginning of August, then took a break. We avoided weekends and holidays. I believe we are rested, confident and
focused. On Friday when we open, I
believe they will take the stage by storm!
Directing Simon
My first directing experience after college was Neil Simon’s
The
Odd Couple in 1983. In 1995, I
directed Lost in Yonkers here at the Players Club. That play holds a special place in my memory,
and was one of the most successful productions artistically that I’ve
directed. I’ve become a big fan of shows
with one set and a small cast, written by Award-winning playwrights.
The Script Then and
Now
Brighton Beach Memoirs is as good a script as Yonkers,
among Simon’s best. The authentic,
complex network of relationship in BBM speaks to the need for love, the
frustration of desires unfulfilled or delayed, the perils of parenting
teenagers, and the universal horniness of teenage boys and the emotional roller
coasters teenage girls ride.
Underpinning it all is a bedrock love of family and the dignity of hard
work. Oh, yes, and it’s funny, very
funny.
Opening Night
On Friday, September 14th, the Players Club will
honor my friend and mentor George Mulford, as well as my wonderful friends Ruth
Goldman and Reba Ferdman. Many of the
“old-timers” will be in attendance that night to honor them, see the newly
redecorated lobby, and then see Brighton Beach Memoirs. A lot of
these folks will have already seen the 1987 production directed by Charles and
Barbara Hicks. I’m thrilled to share
this living history with my cast of “youngsters”. As an organization of committed volunteers,
few organizations can compare with The Players Club of Swarthmore. As a teenager in 1974, I saw the PCS Production
of Man
of La Mancha. I was amazed at
the spectacle of it all, and I wanted to be part of it. Now, I get to chair the Production Committee,
working to create quality theater for our community, just as hundreds of folks
have done for a hundred years. Who
knows? Maybe some kid will come to see Brighton
Beach Memoirs and decide they want to get involved. They might be the Production Chairperson in
2061 when we will celebrate 150 years as a key cultural resource of the
region. As I teach theater arts to kids
in our new lobby on Saturday mornings with the Young Peoples Theatre Workshop,
I am part of the legacy granted by the creative artists who have gone before
me.
Kate and Kate
I got a call from Dorie French, who played Eugene’s mother
Kate in the 1987 BBM production. I
invited her to join the panel at the Meet the Artists Q&A session after the
matinee performance. I can’t wait for
Dorie and Lisa Eckley Cocchiarale (Kate 2012) to meet and compare notes. For my own part, I expect to get a few pointers
and suggestions from Charles and Barbara Hicks, as their 1987 production was
excellent, as far as I can tell from the archives.
