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Yet another well-known Neil Simon comedy is coming to the Hyde Park
Opera House this spring! LCP
presents Neil Simon’s Brighton
Beach Memoirs May 8-10 and 15-17 at the historic Hyde Park
Opera House. Showtime is
7:00pm, except for the Sunday matinees at 2:00pm. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12
for students or seniors.
Please note there is a special half-priced matinee on May
10, which is Mother’s Day (hint, hint).
Tickets are available online at www.LCPlayers.com where
people can pick their own seats and get ticket
confirmation
. What’s more, thanks to a policy
change by LCP, there are no longer any online processing fees! The cost is exactly the
same if you buy tickets online, or by calling the box office at
888-4507, or at the door. Note: all reserved ticket sales
are final; no refunds or exchanges.
This wonderful
comedy is an autobiographical story about Simon’s own experiences growing
up inBrooklyn.
The main character is Eugene (played by Kevin Kohlmorgen, 17,
of Stowe), who is also the narrator of the show. Eugene lives with his Mom (Ramona Godfrey, of
Waterbury
Center
), Dad (Robert Weiss,
of East Montpelier), and his older
and wiser brother, Stanley (Nick Espey, of Stowe). Judith Mathison of Hyde Park,
Shoshana Silverstein of Hyde Park, and Emma Lodge of Morrisville play
Eugene’s aunt and cousins, respectively, and round out this strong
ensemble cast.
Kohlmorgen has appeared in two other LCP shows, but never a role as
demanding as this. “I’m
really enjoying the challenge of this role and this play,” he says. “The fact that it’s a small cast
means that we can really focus on developing our characters and working on
the relationships. Rehearsals
have been great; everyone has been working hard. When you’re here at the Opera
House, you’re really focused on the acting.” Director Houle has enjoyed working
with this script because it is “classic” Neil Simon. “The show has the familiar themes
of coming-of-age and of dealing with one’s family. But the issues are tackled with a
mixture of comedy and drama that is the hallmark of a Neil Simon
play. So many of the scenes
and the lines are simultaneously poignant and funny, and it has been a joy
bringing it all to life!”
Character
Descriptions:
NOTE: Ages listed are
STAGE AGES. (i.e., actor need
not to be that age, just be able to pass in that range while on
stage)
EUGENE JEROME (STAGE
AGE 12-15) Eugene is a smart, funny,
rambunctious kid growing up in New
York with his very extended
family. He believes his
family is crazy and writes down his “memoirs” to document everything that
happens in his house. He feels like he’s an outcast in his
family and can’t wait to establish his own identity, as soon as he figures
out what that is exactly.
KATE JEROME: (STAGE AGE
40-55) Kate is the mother of Eugene and Stanley, wife of Jack, sister of
Blanche, and aunt to Nora and Laurie. Kate is the glue that holds the
Jerome family together. She
takes a lot of pride in her family and home and runs a tight ship. Although she sometimes appears
harsh, she has a fierce love for her whole family and is very protective
of them.
BLANCHE MORTON: (STAGE
AGE 35-40) Blanche is Kate’s sister and the mother of Nora and
Laurie. Blanche is caring and
loving, but unsure of herself and her ability to provide for her family
since her husband’s death, which she is still struggling to come to terms
with. She is
struggling to develop her own independence and with the ability to make
the “right choices.”
JACK JEROME: (STAGE AGE
40-55) Jack is Kate’s husband and Eugene and Stanley’s
father. He is a hard worker
and the “sane person” in the insane Jerome and Morton families. He often
plays “good cop” to Kate’s “bad cop” when raising the children and is very
introspective. He worries
about how the world’s events will affect his family and will do anything
to provide a better future for his family, and especially the
children. He is often the “voice of reason.”
STANLEY JEROME: (STAGE AGE 17-25) Stanley is Eugene’s older brother. He is an intelligent, principled,
charismatic young man who struggles with his recklessness, tendency to be
impulsive, and somewhat poor judgment skills. He cares a lot about his
family and acts as a “teacher” of sorts for
Eugene
when it concerns life, especially
girls.
NORA MORTON: (STAGE AGE
15-20) Nora is a beautiful, intelligent young woman who is full of life
and passion. She dreams of
being a Broadway dancer and of getting her family some independence. She misses her father terribly and
wishes he could be around to guide her during difficult times as she
doesn’t feel her mother does that very well.
LAURIE MORTON: (STAGE AGE 10-13) Laurie is quite
possibly the smartest child in the house and is very in tune with what is
going on in the family, even though she can’t always relate to them,
especially Eugene. She often uses her “illness” to her advantage.
CAST
PRODUCTION TEAM
| Eugene Jerome |
Kevin
Kohlmorgen |
Director |
Patrick Houle |
| Kate Jerome |
Ramona
Godfrey |
Producer |
Frank Weston |
| Blanche Morton |
Judith
Mathison |
Set Designer |
Patrick Houle |
| Jack Jerome |
Robert
Weiss |
Set Construction |
|
| Stanley Jerome |
Nick
Espey |
Scenic Design |
Lauren Smith |
| Nora Morton |
Shoshana
Silverstein |
Set Painters |
|
| Laurie Morton |
Emma
Lodge |
Costumers |
Debi
Bell |
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Lighting Design |
Frank Weston |
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Lighting Technicians |
Frank Weston |
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Stage Manager |
Brian
Marcoux |
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Properties Manager |
Amy
Accles |
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Publicity |
Dean Burnell |
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Box Office Manager |
Perry Burnell |
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House Manager |
Nick Lodge |
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