Entertainment Event: La Mirada Theatre & McCoy Rigby Entertainment: Shines with Laughs, Tears & Family Hopes & Sorrows via King of Stage...Neil Simon's Broadway Bound! Reviewed

La Mirada Theatre & McCoy Rigby Entertainment:  Shines
with Laughs, Tears & Family Hopes & Sorrows via King of Stage...Neil
Simon's Broadway Bound!

Reviewed By: Joseph Sirota

Mc
Coy Rigby Entertainment & La Mirada Theatre
For The Performing Arts have done it again! Broadway Bound! is a sure audience winner that lights up the stately stage
and our hearts with a smart, sharp production of a classic play by America's
lauded Playwright, Neil Simon. Beneath Simon's King of Comedy talent, this
multi-awarded play is among Neil's true auto-biography, captivating plays. It
entertains, yet reveals his early goals, romances and memories of
imperfect-family support for two creative sons. We find ourselves having a deep
peek into the boyhood/early-manhood days when Neil and his older brother Danny
Simon dreamed of conquering comedy writing for Radio, TV, & Star-Comedians.
Folks outside the family saw them as funny, and a writer's pay would be lots
more than Dad's garment sweat-shop life; Oh, and girls really went-for anyone
in show-biz; Indeed. Even neighbors hearing them in Show-Biz(Radio/TV/Theater/Broadway,
or Hollywood)...Voila!--suddenly
deemed the lads as "Somebody", not "Nobody" ...Yup, that's
the sons' dream! Mom might worry about giving up their Department Store jobs, &
Socialist, Grandpa, might never GET
their humor & Dad hollered at feeling their comedy was making fun of him
and the family. Who cares? All families had Bears only seeing Bad-Sides,
even of two Star Sons!

The entire play is set in a two
story drab but sufficient Brighten Beach Brooklyn home in a Jewish/Italian/Irish/Russian...
neighborhood, just a walk to the subway to take you into Manhattan for work... or to audition your
comedic scripts/jokes. Three generations fill the home. Forgetful Trotsky-ite Grandpa is oldest. His
devoted homemaker daughter Kate, and her husband Jack, who lacks any humor or
warmth of his funny sons or warmly caring wife, (the middle generation). The
younger generations is filled with comic dreams of success -- soon to come
true. First son, Stanley, is electrified with goals, and Eugene (who turns out
to be NEIL SIMON (little knows he will not only achieve, but eventually break
Broadway playwright records. How odd that the he kept being poked his older
brother Danny to focus harder on their writing. There are actually two parallel
tales(both true) unfolding. The Boys funny youthful goals vs. the sad man/women
family relationships show painfully missing, love and support in marriage(only
Kate's sister Blanche visits from a happy marriage(On Park Avenue). Different
feeling may jar audience members, expecting overwhelming smiles/guffaws from
Neil Simon's great pen, but his fine writing captures all truths on stage.

A large deal of La Mirada's success with this
Neil Simon greatly Awarded play, is due to an outstanding combination of
Director, Design Team and superb Cast: Jeff Maynard(Director) grasps every instant/feeling of Simon's script.
Jeff never balks or soft peddles Simon's memories of missing childhood
happiness. He wisely makes clear the humor and charm of Neil & Brother
Danny through youth was what got them through. The
cast is, of course, unquestionably provides the performing talent & drive
that makes it all come together, both smiles AND tears. Gina Hecht, as Kate whose selfless love and warmth as the boys' mother
and devoted wife to a cold husband is a powerful core of the play's impact (she
sure can dance a super fox-trot with George Raft, too!) John Mariano gotta'
mean role as Jack, the Father of the two sons, and Kate's cold
husband. He must deliver this inner "man" on stage, and convincingly creates
the dark, self-centered husband and father who is too sorry for his own empty-ish
life he shows little to others, except in passing(it works).  Allan
Miller is a delightfully funny illogical old-timer, Grandpa Ben. Again,
the author shows us a man who is so fixated on one bigger than all-else to
him... Socialism, that, he too abandons his far off loving wife, blaming
weather and healing the earth. Actor Miller steals many a moment, and is a real
pro. He's so realistic, I'm sorry his play's role doesn't die on the way to Florida(perhaps along
with Jack on the way). Loving/caring women in one's life ain't trash.

Cate Cohen as Aunt Blanche (sister of dear sister KATE... coincidental
names), is a warm and decent woman (unlike the older men in this family?
Cohen's sister role is a likeable, willing to be helpful to all around her(even
her stubborn dad Ben who's abandoned her mother/his-wife(She tries her
best, to all around. The only guilt has to deal with is she married a ultimately
successful Park Avenue man, so she's the
richest lady in the family. She points out she always loved him before he was
super rich -- So she ain't ashamed, nor gonna' be ashamed. Amen!

As for the two roles of would-be
Comedy-Writer-Brothers -- these characters turned out very highly regarded
real-life Show-Biz people,--soon after the story's time, and for many years
after.

Here's a quick list who's names are the actors
playing roles in this La Mirada
play production: 

(1) Eugene
- played charmingly
magnificently by Ian Alda in this production. And it was
younger lower-key energy Brother Eugene who turned out being the
real King Neil Simon

(2) Stanley
- played
like an ultra-focused hi-power by Brett Ryback, in
this Production. His role was hi-stress Older Brother Stanley
who the real, also success TV writer Danny Simon

(3) Both real life
Simon Bros were very successful, writing with terrific other great writers
(like the Sid Caesar TV team, considered the greatest comic writers team--Mel
Brooks, Larry Gelbert, Carl Reiner, Woody Alan 
... Both Neil Simon AND Danny Simon ...and more greats of laughter than
this

(4)
 Later, the younger Neil Simon, turned out to become even more known, because he liked
writing Live Theater Plays-- Often then HIT Movies .. So Many Royal Hits & Highest
Awards!

(5) The two actors in La
Mirada's Broadway
Bound! are both terrific! --Much like true gifted Simon Brothers, each plays the right talent
style, Neil sweet/mild -- Danny on fire.

McCoy Rigby Entertainment & La
Mirada Theatre For The Performing Arts continue
to bring better & better Sharp, A+ Productions to our neighborhood(&
with parking...Amen!). The design team spendidly created the true feeling of a
lower-middle-class family Brighten Beach Brooklyn home for three generations of
differing dreams of satisfying living. Behind the Stage are: Scenic Design(Bruce
Goodrich); Lighting(Dan Ionazzi); Sound(Josh Bessom); Costume Design(Ann
Closs-Farley); Wig Design(Katie McCoy); Props Coordinator(Terry Hanrahan); Casting(Julia
Flores); Production Stage Manage(Vernon Willet); DEMAND PR David Elzer
Marketing & Public Relations www.demandpr.com / 818/508-1754. 

  => From Script, to Direction, to
Actors, To Back Stage -- This Outstanding Production Of a true Classic will
move you with both laughter and memories.

Broadway Bound!
La Mirada Theatre14900 La Mirada Blvd, La
Mirada, CA 90638.
Sched: Fri & Sat 8pm;  Wed
& Thu 7:30pm; Matinees Sat &
Sun 2:pm

Closes: October 13. Tkts: $20-$70(discounts).
Call: (562)944-9801 or www.LaMiradaTheatre.com