From left -- Scott Ward Abernethy and Noah Schaefer in "Broadway Bound" at 1st Stage. Doug Wilder/Courtesy of 1st Stage
McLean — A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, “Broadway Bound” is a treasure from the fertile mind of Tony Award winning playwright Neil Simon. Under the fine, perceptive direction of Shirley Serotsky, “Broadway Bound” is a remarkable production full of family love and pain with plenty of humor.
The play focuses on two brothers who want to make it as professional comedy writers. In their 20s, they still live at home with their parents and their grandfather. The time is right after WW II, the location New York City’s Brighton Beach.
While setting their sights on show business the two brothers are also grappling with their parents’ unstable marriage. Their parents are taking stock of their lives. Trust is not easy to come by, joy a tough commodity to find.
Needless to say, the brothers write comic sketches that are successful. Leaving home, however, is no easy undertaking.
Serotsky’s casting is divine. As the concerned younger brother Eugene, Noah Schaefer is a droll presence. He has a quick, snappy delivery especially with pithy rejoinders playing off other characters. His sensitive manner in the show’s dramatic moments are to be savored.
Older brother Stanley played by Scott Ward Abernethy is an anxious, self-centered character. He speaks and moves about the stage in interactions with family members with a sense of aggressive restlessness.
The father is given a performance full of regret and need by Andy Brownstein. He is a man who wants to experience life before his time runs out. Stan Shulman is a comic hoot as the grandfather. He is a man with a warm center even when roaring. As newly rich daughter, Kathleen Akerley gives depth and wisdom as a woman caught between her working-class background and her new status.
Then there is the mother. In a marvelous performance by Teresa Castracane, any scene she appears in becomes hers. Castracane is impressively touching and authentic. Whether angry or wistful she holds the audience’s attention.
The 1st Stage technical design artisans is a theatrical joy. A gorgeous, fabricated two-story home designed by Jonathan Dahm Robertson greets the wide-eyed audience. It is full of detailed props from Kay Rzasa and Deb Creire. Robert Croghan’s costumes are spot-on late 1940s.
“Broadway Bound” has a deep core that will especially touch Baby Boomers with a New York state of mind. They may well remember their own family lives full of joy, tears and laughter.