A review of Brighton Beach Memoirs

48

A REVIEW OF BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS: LATE 1930S BROOKLYN MAKES ITS WAY TO THE MERAMEC STORY

Jools Pulcher Art & Life Editor

Have you ever wondered what it may have been like to the audilive in a typical, Great Depression era Polish-Jewish ence can’t Brooklyn family? Then “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” believe me the production that graced Meramec’s stage from if I can’t Oct. 2-6, 2019, was the play for you. “Brighton Beach Memoirs” believe was one of the several plays performed by the Meramec Theater myself. department. I had to

What starts off as a seemingly mundane play about family believe I like during the Great Depression, quickly became a production was this which captures attention with heavy dialogue and surprisingly 40-year relatable issues faced by the characters within. old,

The most interesting part of this play was the endless male, amounts of layers that seem to take place within one household. Jewish, head of the Throughout the play, the large, well put-together stage manfamily archetype. This was one of the first aged to give the viewer both endless things to pay attention to roles I started to feel confident in. I had to allow myself to lean while simultaneously softly directing the audience’s attention into it and do the role justice.” back to whichever family dilemma was currently being sorted Overall, this production really managed to utilize all of its through in the household. various resources both on and off stage to really pull in viewers

The layers didn’t stop here either, the production also managand hold their attention for the duration of the production’s es to showcase an astounding array of emotions and characterruntime. After about five minutes of dialogue, the play really istics of the characters. Actors who we as students may recogfelt like it stopped being a production on stage, and it really nize if we saw them in the halls of our school faded into their became more of an involved experience that audience members characters incredibly well. have been tied into, instead of just being viewers. Brighton

Evan Turek, who played Uncle Jack in Brighton Beach MemBeach really managed to imprint itself in the memory of its oirs, said, “I think the biggest challenge was remembering that viewers.

KENNEDY CENTER AMERICAN COLLEGE THEATRE FESTIVAL

This is the third year STLCC Meramec’s theatre club has attended the KCACTF Region5 theatre competition. Though this year, the stage crew show down participants were on their own, when it came to practicing and learning the ropes of each part of the Stage Crew Show Down. There were 19 student representives. Four students and their partners competed against 333 other actors in the Irene Ryan Acting Competition. Evan Turek and Vicky Chen avanced to the semi-final round of 66 actors. Student Kyra Pearson won the best partner award. The Technicians Enhancing the Arts Tech Crew Showdown team won first place against 16 other teams.

Photos by: Jessica Koenig