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September 10, 2010
Memoirs proves memorable
Simon’s play has a first-rate cast and true Brighton Beach flavor.
TOVA G. KORNFELD
Recently, Vancouver experienced the rainiest August day on record. My task that day: to interview Melanie Preston, playing Blanche in Vancouver Metro Theatre’s season opener of Neil Simon’s Tony Award-winning Brighton Beach Memoirs (BBM). What better place for our kibbitz than at Solly’s, while noshing bagels and warming up with strong java? However, it was not to be. Just as we sat down, a would-be robber came in and pepper-sprayed the room, causing a hasty evacuation. With our adrenalin pumping and eyes watering, we moved to a local Starbucks for our talk.
Preston was born and raised in Montreal in a secular Jewish household. Her early passion was dance and, in the ninth grade, she successfully auditioned for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and spent one year there. Her family then moved to New York, where she finished high school and was bitten by the acting bug. College in upstate New York and Florida followed, culminating in a degree in theatre and English. After a foray into musical theatre, wanderlust hit and off she went to travel the world, visiting more than 30 countries, often stopping along the way to teach English.
In 2002, Preston decided she wanted to explore her Jewish roots. She had heard about Birthright and took advantage of the opportunity to visit Israel, which turned into a life-changing event. Preston embraced the Zionist spirit and decided to make aliyah in 2004. She lived and worked in Israel for four years, during which time she had the opportunity to act in English community theatre in Tel Aviv, including a role in Simon’s Laughter on the 23rd Floor.
Further travel beckoned and Preston ended up in the Philippines, where she taught English before returning to North America. By chance, she passed through Vancouver and eventually decided to move here last year.
She auditioned for both of the adult female leads in BBM and was thrilled, she said, to be selected to play Blanche. As the only Jewish member of the cast and as a former New Yorker, she said she relates to the tone and pace of the play, the first of the “Eugene Trilogy” (Biloxi Blues and Broadway Bound follow).
BBM is Simon’s semi-autobiographical portrait of a Jewish American family as seen through the eyes of 15-year-old Eugene Jerome, who happens to be coming of age in post-Depression, prewar New York, and writes about this journey in his diary. The narrative, peppered with asides to the audience, highlights sibling rivalries, parent-child conflicts and economic uncertainties that plague this family and threaten, at times, to tear it apart. Any modern family can relate to these timeless, universal issues and no one does the humor/pathos combination better than Simon, with his fast-paced, sassy style.
Brighton Beach is a Brooklyn neighborhood located near Coney Island that played home to countless Jewish immigrants pre- and post-Holocaust and is currently nicknamed “Little Odessa,” reflecting its large Russian Jewish population.
Preston plays the unemployed, younger, widowed sister of the family matriarch, with two teenage daughters, Laurie, a precocious 13-year-old, and Nora, a rebellious 16-year-old. Due to financial difficulties they must live with the Jerome family in a small beachside home. The rest of the family includes father Jack, a garment maker by day and novelty salesman by night, Kate, the loving but often exasperated (stereotypical) Jewish mother, Stanley, the eldest son, and Eugene – who is going through a particularly painful puberty. Eugene’s ultimate fantasy is to see a naked woman while eating ice cream. On top of all of this, at any moment, 37 relatives from Poland are expected to land on the Jeromes’ front porch, seeking refuge from the terror in Europe.
I asked Preston how she felt playing the single mom of two teenage girls. She said she related to their adolescent angst and that her attitude towards motherhood had been changed by the role. She also felt that her recent reconnection with her Jewish heritage had enhanced her ability to give genuine flavor to the character.
There is plenty of juicy dialogue for Preston to sink her teeth into. The role of Blanche is both poignant and moving. My heart ached for Blanche when, after six dateless years, all dressed up and excited about her date with a Mr. Murphy from across the street, she collapses while reading his note of apology canceling their plans. Preston’s portrayal is touching.
The opening night audience was enthusiastic about the performances. Preston was a standout as Blanche and received resounding applause during the curtain calls. Cormac O’Dwyer as Eugene, Josh Zumstien as Stanley, Elizabeth Holliday as Laurie and Paige Dean as Nora were especially strong and provided some youthful energy to move this production along.
The set and costumes are shabby Depression-chic, with a menorah front and centre on the sideboard adding a Yiddishe touch. Lively klezmer music ushers the audience into the theatre and is played during intermission. All in all, it’s well worth the trip down to Marine Drive to catch the show, which runs Thursday through Saturday, 8 p.m., until Sept. 25, with a Sunday matinée on Sept. 19, 2 p.m. For information, visit metrotheatre.org or call 604-266-7191.
Tova G. Kornfeld is a lawyer and freelance writer living in Vancouver.
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