Zal Owen as Eugene. Photo by Anne Hudson |
To say that Neil Simon’s Biloxi
Blues marches down familiar paths is an understatement. Anyone familiar
with the plethora of novels and films about young men training to be soldiers
in WWII, Korea or Viet Nam -- think Sands
of Iwo Jima, Take the High Ground, or Full
Metal Jacket, to name only three -- knows the drill. Men from different
parts of the country and of disparate personalities and ethnicities are thrown
together and through discipline and arduous training (sometimes harsh) shed
their civilian individualities and become soldiers…and a unit. Given the number
of men and women who have gone though the process, the formula, if nothing
else, can’t help but evoke memories. Thus, Ivoryton Playhouse’s production,
given the age skew of its audience, will inevitably please, especially since
the ensemble is, by and large, spot on.
The middle offering of what came to be known as the Eugene
Trilogy, Simon’s 1985 play was made into a movie in 1988 starring Matthew Broderick
as Eugene . At
Ivoryton, Zal Owen, under the steady direction of Sasha Bratt, takes on the
role of the young recruit and aspiring writer, and does so with a great deal of
style, including a Nu Yawk accent
that is consistent throughout the evening.
The play opens in 1943 with five recruits riding on a train
from Fort Dix , New Jersey ,
to a training camp in Biloxi ,
Mississippi . Wykowski (Conor M.
Hamill), Carney (Ethan Kirschbaum), Hennesey (George Meyer), and Epstein (Alec
Silberblatt), along with Eugene ,
grouse, brag and occasionally fart. They soon meet their drill sergeant, Toomey
(Mike Mihm), a hard-as-nails vet who believes 200 push-ups can’t fail to turn
civilians into soldiers. Thus, the process begins, most of it consisting of
Toomey browbeating the recruits. Under the pressure, the young men reveal their
insecurities and prejudices, many of which Eugene records in his “memoirs,” a notebook
he keeps in his barracks trunk.
The play is a series of set-pieces including the men’s
introduction to Army chow in the form of SOS (shit on a shingle), grueling
marches and the concept that if one recruit screws up the entire unit has to
pay the price, a theory that often leads to bullying amongst the recruits as
they try to “shape up” the sad sack. In this case, it’s Epstein, a cerebral
sort who happens to be Jewish (as is Eugene )
and is inclined to view life through the lens of Talmudic argument. He and
Toomey butt heads early on and the conflict between the two will fuel much of
the evening and be the focus of the play’s climax.
Then there’s the inevitable “soldiers on a two-day pass”
scenes, which feature Moira O’Sullivan as Rowena, a semi-pro (she only does it
on weekends) who takes on the eager recruits one at a time, the last one being
Eugene, who achieves one of his stated goals (“I did it!”). His second goal is
to fall in love. Enter Andee Buccheri as Daisy, a Catholic school girl who
meets Eugene at
a USO dance. If there’s one false note in the production it’s here, for Miss
Daisy just seems a bit too sweet-as-pie, demure to the point of often not being
able to be heard clearly. My only other quibble is, having been under the
tutelage of several drill sergeants and dealt with many NCOs, I question
whether Toomey should (or would) consistently square his corners and do precise
about faces on every exit. In any event, Eugene
falls in love with Daisy and it is sealed with a bittersweet kiss.
Given the sub-genre, the play is filled with stereotypes,
but this fine cast brings them to life, no more so than Silberblatt as Epstein.
He creates a dweeb who is also a wise-ass and from his agonies over having to
go to the bathroom (“It’s a latrine, dipshit!”) to his final confrontation with
a somewhat inebriated Toomey, Silberblatt gives us a multi-faceted character that
consistently holds the audience’s attention.
All of this is played out on a remarkably flexible single
set created by Glenn David Bassett that allows for the train ride, the barracks
confrontations, the trip to the bordello, the USO dance and the climactic scene
in Toomey’s room with a minimum of effort, trusting the audience to fill in the
blanks.
Clocking in at just over two hours, with a single
intermission, Biloxi Blues is an
entertaining stroll down memory lane, especially for those who have served in
the armed forces. It gently deals with serious issues (homophobia and
anti-Semitism, among others) while providing enough laughs to lighten the
evening. The show runs through May 14. For tickets or more information call
860-767-7318 or go to www.ivorytonplayhouse.org.
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