Interview: DIRECTOR MATT BOYLE

Matt Boyle is a respected Playwright and Director with a nice diverse list of credits. His current project is Directing Neil Simon's"Brighton Beach Memoirs" .

MCL: Matt, you are directing "Brighton Beach Memoirs" Written by Neil Simon. Mr. Simon recently passed away. How does it feel to be Directing one of his shows?

MB: I am tremendously honored to be directing a Neil Simon play and especially BBM. It's the first of the Eugene Trilogy and a very personal play for Mr. Simon. LRP called and asked me because I am a native New Yorker--born in Brooklyn, raised in Queens, I lived 10 years in the Bronx. So I feel and have always felt a great closeness to Mr. Simon and a love of his work.

MCL: Have you Directed other Simon shows?

MB: No, I haven't and I wasn't expecting this to be my 1st play of Mr. Simon's to direct. The phone call was an unexpected surprise. Actually, I had already committed to directing Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor in 2019 at SCA. That was going to be my first....God and LRP'S had other ideas though.

MCL: What is it about his shows that connect with audiences?

MB: Mr. Simon's characters are real. The dialogue is authentic, genuine and genuinely funny. The situations are also authentic, genuine and genuinely funny. Put short, Neil Simon was a genius and he was also a master craftsman, an artist in the truest sense of the word. He was, is and will remain a national treasure.

MCL: What's the history of "Brighton Beach Memoirs". What's the story about?

MB:It is the coming of age story of Eugene Morris Jerome. He lives with his mom, dad and older brother in Depression era Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Eugene wants to play for the Yankees, but thinks the deck is stacked against him being Jewish and not being Italian like Joe DiMaggio. Failing being a baseball player, he plans to be a writer. His aunt has moved in with her two daughters following the death of her husband, Eugene's uncle, Dave. Eugene is heavy into puberty and the comedy in the piece comes from his observations and asides to the audience. Matthew Broderick originated the role of Eugene on Broadway and won a Tony for his performance. Our Eugene is a young man named Max Damiani. I saw Matthew Broderick play Eugene on Broadway. Max gives Matthew Broderick a run for his money. IMO.

MCL: What has been some of the challenges about Directing this Simon Play?

MB: The accent of the characters. New York, Jewish, Depression era. You want the characters to not be stereotypical. You want them to genuine sounding. The amount of accent that the Mom, Dad and Aunt have versus the amount that Eugene and his brother and cousins have.

MCL: You work great a great deal at Springville Players and now Lancaster Regional Players ... Both respected theatre companies ... What have you found different from each?

MB: They are both great places to work. The funny thing is the parallels. Springville's go-to-handyman sound and light booth guru is Kevin Kujawa. Lancaster has Zen tech master, Kirkland Gilmer.

Both places are community theaters that have been around a long, long time and the reason that both keep going is the great people that make up these organizations. I have felt the love at both and am honored to work with both!

MCL: What about Directing keeps you doing it?

MB: I learn all the time. Directing informs my acting and my writing and vice versa. I have a skill set. Many people have the skill set and can direct. Some have the skill set and DON'T want to direct. So for me, directing is about serving a need and having fun. I want my actors to grow as individuals, in character and as a group. AND there are certain plays and musicals, I want to see done, and if you want to see them done, you gotta do them and make that commitment.

MCL: At the end of the Play ... how do you want people to feel?

MB: I want them to feel to have a sense of wholeness about this family. I want them to see our common humanity. That was one of the themes of the play, family and humanity, our common humanity. The Jerome family is here in the U.S. They are lucky to be here, no matter how hard the economic situation gets. They have family members in Europe who are sensing the tide change that is coming with the rise of the Nazis. A war is coming. They need to get out. We know in hindsight that 6 million Jews will not be able to get out of Europe in time.

MCL: Finally ... What would you say to Neil Simon about this Play?

MB: I would just want to thank him so much for the gift of the story, the gift of the characters and the gift of the dialogue. Mr. Simon was a master at his craft. The Jerome family will live on and that is Mr. Simon's gift to us and future generations.

FOR MORE INFOMATION ON Matt Boyle:

Matt Boyle is a respected Playwright and Director with a diverse list of credits. His current project is Directing "Brighton Beach Memoirs">http://lancasterregionalplayers.org/tickets-shows/

http://springvillearts.org/sca/events/categories/all-events/programs-events/theatre/

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