MADISON — It’s the late 1940s, and 23-year-old Eugene Jerome is back home in Brooklyn after serving a year in the Army in the last year of World War II.
Not much has changed. The neighborhood is pretty much the same, his parents, Jack and Kate, still live in the same house with Grandpa; even his older brother Stanley is still there, and yet
Rabbit Run Theater opens its 2009 summer season with Neil Simon’s comedy/drama “Broadway Bound.” Winner of the 1987 Tony Award for Best Play, Broadway Bound is the third installment of the acclaimed and autobiographical “Eugene trilogy” which includes Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues.
Eugene and Stanley are trying to break into the world of professional comedy and try their hand at writing comedic skits for radio. Their “big break” comes when CBS gives them a shot at writing a skit for an obscure radio show. Unwittingly they use their somewhat dysfunctional family as material, fueling some robust family discussions.
“Broadway Bound” is directed by of Ann Hedger, programming coordinator at Fine Arts Association. Over the years, Hedger has both acted and directed numerous shows at Rabbit Run. Recent directorial credits at the theater include “I Hate Hamlet” (2005), “The Cemetery Club” (2006), and “Sleuth” (2008).
“The entire ‘Eugene Trilogy’” has a great deal of heart and humor, and people relate well to the plays,” said Hedger. “This series represent some of Neil Simon’s best works.”
“The cast for ‘Broadway Bound’ is fabulous. I was very fortunate to be able to pull together a cast like this. It’s a real benefit that the Jerome brothers are being played by real-life brothers, Brian and John Crowley. Their connection as brothers is very strong, so it’s just been a matter of fine-tuning the characters.”
Brian Crowley, playing Eugene, is a musical theater major at Kent State Univeristy and has performed in numerous shows at Rabbit Run, including “Ragtime,” “Moon Over Buffalo” and “Titanic, the Musical.” John Crowley (Stanley Jerome), a senior theater major at Miami University, has also performed in several productions at the theater including “Once on This Island” and “Born Yesterday.”
Veteran actor/director Sandy Kosovich Peck is portraying the Jerome brothers’ mother, Kate. Peck is a drama instructor at Fine Arts Association and has acted and directed in a number of community theaters in the area. At Rabbit Run, Peck directed the 2007 production of “Forever Plaid” and last season’s “Moon Over Buffalo.”
She played Kate in the first of the Eugene trilogy, “Brighton Beach Memoirs” at Rabbit Run in 2004, as well as appearing in “Ragtime,”” Little Women, the Broadway Musical” and “Titanic, the Musical.”
Other actors include Tom Milligan as Jack (father), Gail Steindler as Blanche (Kate’s sister) and Joe Petrolia as Ben (Kate’s father).
Broadway Bound opens June 5 and runs through June 20. Rabbit Run Theater is at 5648 W. Chapel Road. All shows begin at 8 p.m. For ticket reservations call the box office at 428-7092, Wednesday to Sunday, 3 to 7 p.m. or on line, beginning June 8.
WEEKENDER / Entertainment
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