Broadway Bound

Eugene #3

by Neil Simon

Third volume of authors autobiographical trilogy of plays, following Brighton Beach memoirs and Biloxi blues

Genres: Plays, Drama, Theatre, Comedy, Fiction, Humor, Audiobook

118 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 12, 1987

About the author

Marvin Neil Simon was an American playwright and screenwriter. He wrote more than 30 plays and he received more combined Oscar and Tony nominations than any other writer. He was one of the most reliable hitmakers in Broadway history, as well as one of the most performed playwrights in the world. Though primarily a comic writer, some of his plays, particularly the Eugene Trilogy and The Sunshine Boys, reflect on the twentieth century Jewish-American experience.

Reviews

[Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love listening to great plays. Full casts, music, sound effects, real audience laughter, and great plays. There’s magic in live productions.

[Lauren Merrifield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the comedy and the realness of the show. All the lines were spoken as if real people had actually said them. And maybe they did. It was easy to feel immersed in the family and their feelings. They all had their struggles and dreams. They functioned as a regular family would and it was entertaining to read. I think it would be very successful watching it be performed, too. The characters are very real and their lines would captivate the audience. Also, the focus shifts from character to character enough that the audience wouldn't get bored. Neil Simon is a genius and I think everyone should see one of his plays. I very much enjoyed reading this play, as well as the rest of the trilogy.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm in debt to this one for teaching me what I now consider the canonical spelling of "oy vey!", which apparently is actually "oi vay!" (although google says it's "oy vey!" so it looks like Simon and I were both half right).

The final story in the trilogy takes it back to the family and we're back in the sweet spot for any theater: family discontent and confronting what comes from it. Really had some sweetie moments and it was good to be back with most of the characters from the first play.

[Boni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This last play in the Eugene trilogy of Neil Simon is as magnificent as the first two plays in this series. This time Eugene and his brother Stanley are trying to be comedic writers in a radio station. This semi-autobiographic play is a paean to the glory times in New York after the war. It is nostalgic, warm, and funny.

[Pinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the last play in the Eugene Trilogy and it did not disappoint. What I like best about Neil Simon is the way his characters make me feel. Happy, sad, proud, anxious, heartbroken. This final play has Eugene and Stanley grown and establishing their comedy careers while the parents and grandparents are going through continuing relationship challenges.

[Lauren Hancock · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is he third in Simon's semi-autobiographical "Eugene" trilogy (following Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues) and it might have been my favorite of the three. It was hilarious. My favorite part was the humorless socialist grandpa with impeccable comedic timing. Next up in my Neil Simon binge: California Suite.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good play. A very good end to the Eugene Trilogy.

[Kim Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite Neil Simon play I’ve read so far.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still funny but more emotionally powerful than its predecessors.

[Jojo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: It's the final play in the Brighton Beach/Eugene trilogy. This one takes place about 10 years since the first one. Eugene is now in his early 20s, still living at home with his parents and trying to make something of himself. In his home now is himself, his brother Stan, his parents and his grandfather. His aunt Blanche has since moved out and married a wealthy man. Stan and Eugene have dreams of becoming comedy writers and so when Stan finagles an audition with CBS, the boys scramble to write a piece. Meanwhile, his parents are struggling in their relationship and things come to a head when it is revealed that Jack (the father) has been having an affair though he says it ended. The boys score a deal and manage to get their work on the radio. A month later and the boys have landed an even bigger deal with CBS and plan on moving into Manhattan. Jack packs up his bag to move out. In the end, Eugene reveals how his parents split up for good in the end and his father re-married.
Review: This was definitely a step up from the previous play but I would probably still say the first in the series is the best of the trilogy.
Grade: C

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neil Simon was one of the first playwrights I loved, although it’s been years since I’ve read one of his plays.

While adult me enjoyed Broadway Bound, it didn’t grab me the way I remember his plays affected me as a teenager. Maybe it’s this particular play and the sole female character. Maybe it’s that I’m older and my tastes have changed.

I also think the world’s changed since I first encountered his plays. For all I want more comedy – for all I am sick of the creative celebration of violence and cynicism – I think the innocence that allowed me to enjoy Simon’s tales of a bygone era of America – an era that, for all its problems, was fundamentally optimistic about the future – is gone, and I don’t relate to his characters as I once did.

Or, as I already said, it’s just this particular play and its story of two brothers trying to make it as a comedy duo while their mom sacrifices and their Dad is a jerk. Recommended.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading the play “BROADWAY BOUND” by NEIL SIMON. I read this book while listening to the audible version narrated by DAN CASTELLANETA and FULL CAST. Part three of Neil Simon's acclaimed autobiographical trilogy finds Eugene and his older brother Stanley trying to break into the world of show business as professional comedy writers while coping with their parents break-up and eventual divorce. When their material is broadcast on the radio for the first time, the family is upset to hear a thinly-veiled portrait of themselves played for laughs. This was very funny but very moving at times as well. Loved it. I will be watching the movie later on.

[Aileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the end of a trilogy for Neil Simon, this piece was a great book end. The theme of family and moving on are at the heart of this story. Eugene and Stan are at opposite ends of life compared to their parents as they are looking toward the future while their parents are stuck in the harsh past. Each of the characters has their own backstory that brings them to this point and keeps you engaged the whole time. It is a quick read and great for those looking for an intense drama that has poignant language.

[Andrea Janov · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always I feel like I truly am a voyer. The this may be my least favorite of the trilogy and I am not sure exactly why. Maybe because the emotions are not earned in this play alone, you needed the previous context. Kate, by far is the strongest and deepest character that we are given, yet she is surrounded by men, whose lives simply go on around her, through chaos and disrespect, she is our rock. Through the inequities of the time period the play is set and the time period it is written, she still stands strong. Stronger than her ex-husband, father, and sons ever give her credit for.

[Charlie Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This is my favourite Neil Simon play so far, but it could have been stronger. The best character is Grandpa, reminiscent of Big Daddy from Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Unfortunately he didn't have a larger part, but he bookends the play with dry humour and an endearing quality. The main action of the play is probably weaker than some of his other works, but the metafictional conversations where they talk about how drama works were pretty funny.

[Karith Amel · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I've seen some Neil Simon plays before, I've never read any, and I was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable the experience was. This was powerful, intricate, subtle, and funny - and while it is, a little, about writing, and comedy, and memory, I think it's mostly about marriage and the relationship between parents (especially mothers) and their children. Eugene is the narrator, but Kate, Kate is who this play is actually about. Or so it seems to me.

[Paul LaFontaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eugene and his brother try to break into show business as writers as their parents marriage falls apart.

Funny play, fast paced and enjoyable. All the members of the family are funny, making for a good experience.

Recommend

[Rolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of Simon’s three autobiographical plays, this is the one I enjoyed the most--while it still has indulgent flourishes like Eugene’s frequent fourth wall addresses to the audience, some of the characters (especially the grandpa, Ben) have the trademark Simon wit in their dialogue.

[R.K. Cowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up (in Brighton Beach) is hard to do.

[Dan Blackley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third in the trilogy. This shows how Eugene gets his start as a tv writer. The family life starts to go south as his career takes off.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like slipping into a well worn leather shoe

[Gisele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the two previous ones, but always worth a read. The grandfather character steals the play!

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing that Simon understands is that you never laugh so hard as you do immediately after a crying.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Brian McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

More highly enjoyable Simon. A fitting and well-written conclusion to the trilogy. I saw the original cast in December of 1985. Just terrific.

[Lucas Maxfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am Eugene

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading the play “BROADWAY BOUND” by NEIL SIMON. I read this book while listening to the audible version narrated by DAN CASTELLANETA and FULL CAST. Part three of Neil Simon's acclaimed autobiographical trilogy finds Eugene and his older brother Stanley trying to break into the world of show business as professional comedy writers while coping with their parents break-up and eventual divorce. When their material is broadcast on the radio for the first time, the family is upset to hear a thinly-veiled portrait of themselves played for laughs. This was very funny but very moving at times as well. Loved it. I will be watching the movie later on.

[Abigail Espinal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful conclusion to Neil Simon's masterwork, autobiographical trilogy. The splendid mix of witty comedy gold and tense family drama blends into a fine production which deserves a place on the shelves of theatre-lovers everywhere. Simon once again proves his creative expertise with yet another joyous, coming-of-age dramady.

[Vel Veeter]

The sequel or more so follow up to Biloxi Blues. Eugene has returned home from the war and is thinking about next steps. He’s living with his parents, and grandfather, and he and his brother are looking into becoming comedy writers. There’s three different throughlines in this claustrophobic play. The boys are thinking through their careers and trying out different scenes, sketches, and scenarios. We have the grandfather peering down at mortality. And we have the unraveling of the parents’ marriage when it becomes open knowledge that the father has been having an affair. This all comes to a head (and this is a common scene especially in American stories) where the boys have written a comedy sketch that is performed, and the father takes it personally as an attack on him and their family because of his infidelity.