The Justice

Media Credit: David Sheppard-Brick The play depicts a Jewish family in 1940s Brooklyn. From left to right: Dan Katz '12, Annie Chiorazzi '11, Briana Bensenouci '12, Lauren Elias '10, Jessi Fixsen '12, Sam Roos '09 and Charlie Kivolowitz '11.

Media Credit: David Sheppard-Brick Jessi Fixsen and Lauren Elias in a family dispute during 'Memoirs.'

I was in awe of the elaborate set for last Saturday's Brandeis Players production of Brighton Beach Memoirs; it was as though Freddie Mac had donated a foreclosed house and all its belongings to the Players. The two rooms upstairs with posters and beds, the living room with a piano and early 20th century radio, the kitchen with its oven and refrigerator, the dining room, the stairs, the door, the window, everything.

Once the audience was let in to the auditorium (late-around 7:55 p.m. for an 8 p.m. show), the characters had already set to work. A woman was setting the table. Another was sewing. A boy was playing catch with himself outside. A girl was reading on the couch. Then the lights were dimmed, we were told to silence our cell phones and reminded that flash photography is dangerous, and Dan Katz '12 began to entertain.

Katz successfully portrayed the na've and excitable Eugene, who takes us on a journey into his life via pen and paper. Eugene wants to be a writer but does not want anyone to read his memoirs until after he has passed away. All he knows about women is what he learns from his older brother, Stanley (Sam Roos '09, of TBA and Boris' Kitchen fame). And he is all too likeable in his hilarious opinions and perceptions of the mess going on around him, of the dysfunctional family that always, somehow, reverts to an optimistic outlook of its situation; his Jewish family that experiences its fair share of drama but does not let that get in the way of clan cohesiveness.

Eugene grows up with two cousins (Jessi Fixsen '12 and Briana Bensenouci '12) and an aunt (Lauren Elias '10), in addition to his brother and parents (Anne Chiorazzi '11 and Charlie Kivolowitz '11) during the early years of World War II. It's a tight-knit group starting to fall apart due to the economy and war on the outside and adolescence and a complicated familial history at home.

I had never seen Roos act in a play before, having only known him as a superb comedian and improv troupe member. I was impressed by his ability to portray a very serious and troubled young man who wants nothing more than to do what's right but who ends up shooting himself in the foot because of it. Elias, Chiorazzi and Kivolowitz were wonderful as the three adults in care of children whose differences in age and priorities make their lives a headache. Fixsen is genuine as the rebellious teenage girl who is at that strange interval between puberty and womanhood. Last but not least, Bensenouci is delightfully funny as the 13-year-old female who would rather read books than look at guys.

None of this would be possible without the brilliant Neil Simon, the playwright who wrote Brighton Beach Memoirs in 1983. His humor is timeless, universal and accessible. However, with text so colorful, it can be easy to gloss over the subtext and stick at the shallow end of his words. But, director Brian Melcher '10 did not settle for an enthusiastic recitation of lines. It was apparent that the six on stage had worked as a team to go deeper into Simon's book, and Melcher is responsible for having steered them in the right direction.

It's too bad that the Saturday night performance was only half full. I really wish more people would have come to see it. I could not believe the quality, considering that those involved are also students with many other responsibilities. And, considering that over half the actors were underclassmen, I expected a good show with some strong and weak moments here and there, some good and bad points mixed in together. What I ended up seeing was a great show, practically flawless. I really have no complaints. To say I was relieved would be an understatement. The performance as a whole was like the show's set: It blew me away. If they had more performances I would see it a second and third time. Within 10 minutes of the curtain call, I was telling a friend of mine to see the Sunday matinee. Say whatever you want about Brandeis, but wow, we've got some real talent! I just got served by the cast and crew of Brighton Beach Memoirs.

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