While Simon's play uses a narrator, Eugene (well portrayed by an endearing Joey Swift), the convention merely is that -- a vehicle to get to the heart of the story, which is the importance of family.
In light of today's world setting, this play has special resonance. Set in the outskirts of Brooklyn in 1937, the themes of war and Depression pervade the story and inform the people in it. Kate (so perfectly portrayed by an amazing Sally Contess) and Jack (Steven Wolf at his finest) are raising two teenage boys, young fledgling writer Eugene and older brother Stanley (Lucas Roussel), who is expected to go to war in the coming years.
The family has brought in Kate's sister, Blanche (Tori Smith), who lost her husband, and her two daughters, Laurie (Fran Rizzuto) and Nora (Sarah Doerr). This extended family lives in a small home designed with nice attention to the detail by Lucker.
Kate makes ends meet by serving cheap dishes such as liver and lima beans, and Jack and Stanley take any job they can to pay the bills. Blanche, plagued with bad eyesight, sews dresses. Laurie, troubled with a heart murmur, reads. Nora dreams of becoming a Broadway star, and baseball-loving Eugene dreams of being a writer.
This is a tempestuous Jewish family. No flat-lined emotions here. Even sending Eugene to the grocery to get a pound of flour turns out to be a drama. But through the ranting and raving and chest-beating, a rich undercurrent of warmth and humor infuses the fiercely loving family.
To drive this important theme home, Teplica has brought together one of the area's best ensemble casts, which captivated the audience on opening night. Smith gets a chance to spread her dramatic wings as Kate; and Rizzuto, a fine young actress usually in the background at the Henegar, finally gets to step into the spotlight as Laurie.
Newcomers Roussel and Doerr find good hearts to their characters of Nora and Stanley.
Yes, you will laugh at the many quips served up by Swift, whose spot-on timing is so well tuned for comedy. But he also digs deep to find a soulful center to Eugene. Some of the most endearing scenes are when Stanley teaches lessons on "the birds and the bees" to Eugene.
But it is Wolf and Contess who deliver the knockout punch of emotion toward the end of the show. You best have a hankie nearby.
Under Teplica's direction, the show flows with quick pace, but not so much that it undercuts the emotional impact. Before you know it, you are under its spell. This is a family who you'll love to visit and may even wish you could stay longer than two hours.
Contact Harbaugh at 242-3717 or pharbaugh@floridatoday.com.