Midland to perform 'Brighton Beach Memoirs'

By Brett Ellis/Fremont Tribune

Ben Eckleberry stars as Eugene in MLC's production of "Brighton Beach Memoirs."

A classic Neil Simon comedy is taking the stage at Midland Lutheran College this week.

“Brighton Beach Memoirs” runs Thursday through Sunday at the Kimmel Theater on the college’s campus. The play begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $4 for students and seniors. Midland students, faculty and staff, as well as Fremont Midland Entertainment Series members, will be admitted free.

“Brighton Beach Memoirs” is a coming-of-age comedy that centers on teenager Eugene Morris Jerome growing up in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1937.

“It’s written really well and it feels really natural,” said Ben Eckelberry, who plays Eugene. “Anybody can relate to the characters, and I can really relate to Eugene.”

Director Denise Chapman said putting together a comedy often can be a challenge because of the timing required by the actors.

“The nice thing about this show is there is balance, I think, between the comedic scenes and the dramatic scenes that really take a look at the family dynamic,” Chapman said.

There are only seven students in the cast — all part of the Jerome family. That leads to some interesting interactions between characters, Chapman said.

It also helps the audience identify with the characters on stage.

“It’s more of a real-life comedy ... where you find humor in the situations that this family finds itself in and humor in this young boy kind of approaching puberty and dealing with some of those issues,” Chapman said. “It’s something that we all relate to. We all remember those awkward teenage years and we all had those brother-sister fights.”

Because Midland no longer has a true theater program, Chapman said the students putting on “Brighton Beach Memoirs” are dedicated to the production.

“The nice thing about this cast ... is that everyone is here because they choose to be here,” she said.

One of those students is stage manager Kelly France, a senior from Gothenburg.

France began designing the show’s set in September and started construction on it in early October.

“I just really feel passionate about art, and being in a liberal arts school ... I feel that the more art programs we have, the more we’re staying true to the college that I signed up for,” France said.

France thinks audiences will enjoy the production.

“I hope that they enjoy the family dynamic and I hope they enjoy the comedy because it’s a really funny show,” he said. “The Great Depression has a lot of parallels to our world today. I’m hoping that (the audience) can take away hope if anything. Seeing that somebody else has been through it and they made it, sometimes people just need that.”

Eckelberry also wants people to have fun at the play.

“It’s a hilarious play and there’s also a lot of drama in there,” he said. “It’s funny on a lot of different levels, and there’s also a more serious side so there’s some substance to it as well.”

Published in the Fremont Tribune on Nov. 4, 2009:
http://www.fremonttribune.com/articles/2009/11/04/news/local/doc4af1a2f020a1b787326299.txt