Neil Simon's Broadway Bound
Pembroke Pines Theatre of the Performing Arts in South Florida
By: Aaron Krause - Mar 27, 2026
Humor and heart are hallmarks of Neil Simon’s plays, including his funny and moving dramedy, Broadway Bound, about up-and-coming sketch comedy writers. Pembroke Pines Theatre of the Performing Arts (PPTOPA) delivers both in equal measure in its stirring current professional mounting of the play. The production runs for one more weekend in the Susan Katz Theatre at the River of Grass Arts Park in Pembroke Pines. It runs about two and a half hours, including intermission.
Under Jerry Jensen’s seamless direction, the production stars talented actors Aaron Bravo, Larry Bressler, Dana Fredebaugh, John Henry Parks, Rick Prada, and Rosie Prieto.
Broadway Bound is the third in a trilogy of plays Simon wrote inspired by his youth. In Brighton Beach Memoirs (1983), Eugene Morris Jerome (Simon’s stand-in) wants to play professional baseball for the New York Yankees (a comedy writer is his dream fallback job) and wittily comments about his family in 1937 Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. In Biloxi Blues (1985), Eugene is a young Army recruit in 1943 enduring basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi. Finally, in Broadway Bound (1986), Eugene and his older brother Stanley live in 1940s Brooklyn as they pursue a comedy writing career while dealing with their parents’ crumbling marriage. Eugene alternates between quipping to the audience and working with Stanley to break into sketch comedy writing.
Simon smartly structured Broadway Bound as two storylines. In one, the brothers work to get their sketches on the air, while in the other, their parents, Kate and Jack, are breaking up after 33 years of marriage. Eugene and Stanley’s socialist grandfather, Ben, also figures into the plot, as does Kate’s wealthy sister, Blanche.
While the storylines seem separate, they intersect toward the end when one of Eugene and Stanley’s sketches airs on the radio, enraging Jack, who feels the sketch ridicules their family’s life.
PPTOPA’s production seamlessly switches between the storylines, and under Jensen’s direction, the energy never flags. While the action is often intense, the acting is always natural, movement seems purposeful and unforced, and the comic timing is spot on.
In Broadway Bound, Stanley explains that wanting something badly and encountering obstacles are key to successful comedy writing. Clearly, in PPTOPA’s production, Stanley (Bravo) strongly desires to make it big. He fidgets, leans forward, makes fists, gestures forcefully, makes intense facial expressions, speaks loudly, slams his pad down in frustration, walks with purpose, and moves his leg up and down while seated. Bravo’s Stanley, who does all this without forcing anything, is a ball of nervous energy, and it’s invigorating to watch and listen to him.
As Eugene, Parks keeps our interest with a more understated approach than his brother. He nails deadpan expressions, and his voice turns wry with irony and sarcasm, though it occasionally rises in excitement, reinforcing his youth and eagerness. You sense Eugene’s affection for Stanley (and vice versa), and during a key scene, Parks’ Eugene shares a touching moment with his mother (Prieto). With genuine enthusiasm, he asks about a memory from Kate’s past, when she danced with film star and noted dancer George Raft. To revive the moment, the lights dim as Eugene and Kate dance with verve to accompanying music. It’s a tender scene, leaving the audience longing for those happier times in Kate’s life.
In the play, Kate has reached a point in her life where her role as caregiver and spouse is changing. Her sons are young men and will soon move out, and she has known for some time that Jack has been cheating on her. As Eugene notes, his mother derives her purpose from preparing meals for others—if she’s not cooking for someone, her life feels aimless. Yet Prieto’s Kate never resorts to self-pity. She becomes a calm, mild-mannered woman who can be modest and compassionate, but who can also grow suddenly angry if pushed too far. She seems composed and patient with Jack up to a point, then lashes out, seamlessly shifting from one emotion to another. Genuine love is evident between Kate and her father, Ben (Prada), and she is also obviously fond of her sister, Blanche (Fredebaugh). During her moving scene with Eugene, while recollecting her past, Prieto’s Kate speaks with such familiarity and fondness that you sense she remembers the moment as though it were yesterday.
When Jack enters the house, he looks weary, annoyed, and disappointed. He works long hours cutting women’s raincoats, and you sense he wants something more from life. As Jack, Bressler delivers a multi-faceted, credible performance, moving smoothly between weariness, disappointment, anger, guilt, and sincere regret. He raises his voice to express his frustration with Stanley, and at one point, the two stand almost nose to nose in confrontation, with Eugene serving as the peacemaker. A scowl forms on his face as he listens to his sons’ sketch, which clearly pokes fun at their family. Bressler varies his voice, sounding softer, defeated, and genuinely sorry during less intense moments.
Prada, speaking in an unmistakable New York accent, injects Ben with a vigor that suggests he is healthy, alert, and mentally sharp. While he harbors strong beliefs as an unapologetic socialist, Prada ensures that Ben never comes across as hostile. He stands firm and unbending, yet the actor endows him with a wry sense of humor and a trace of naivete, giving him a mischievous twinkle in his manner. His eyebrows lower when he is deep in thought or confused. Genuine love is evident between Ben and Kate, and he is equally affectionate with his grandsons.
Blanche married a wealthy man, but as Fredebaugh portrays her, she seems hardly content or happy. You sense emotional pain and concern in her voice and manner. She is deeply sympathetic toward Kate and her affairs, yet upset that her father is estranged from his wife. Ben, meanwhile, is not thrilled about Blanche’s wealth; all that money could, in his view, go toward feeding the poor. While Fredebaugh’s Blanche does not apologize for marrying a rich man, and tension exists between her and Ben, she never flaunts her lavish lifestyle. She is elegant without being haughty.
Under Jensen’s direction, the production proceeds at a pace that feels just right. The actors disappear fully into their characters and pursue their objectives with clear intention. They move with purpose, and they not only speak but also listen to one another, creating believable interactions. Jensen and his cast achieve a healthy balance between the play’s humor and pathos, letting the comedy land while giving the emotional moments their full weight. From the brothers’ efforts at writing comedy to the parents’ breakup, the ensemble captures the warmth and tension of a believable family navigating love, ambition, and disappointment.
The actors perform on John Blessed’s spacious yet modest depiction of the Jerome household. In addition to period props, the set includes telling details, such as a New York Yankees banner, a baseball, and small bats in Eugene’s room, and portraits of comedy stars in Stanley’s. Geoffrey Mergele’s period costumes, Michael Graham’s realistic lighting, and Jensen’s clear sound design all help bring the world of the play to believable life.
Simon (1927–2018) was among theater’s most prolific, successful, and popular playwrights. He had a gift for unearthing humor in dark situations and revealing the recognizable humanity beneath his characters’ foibles and faults. What state of mind would we find ourselves in today without the comforts of humor and family? Frankly, we might buckle under the weight of all the uncertainty and danger that has added to life’s fragility. Happily, Simon delivers satisfying doses of comedy and heart in Broadway Bound. The play was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and received a Tony nomination for Best Play.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Pembroke Pines Theatre of the Performing Arts’ professional production of Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound.
WHEN: Through March 29. Remaining performances are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, as well as 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
WHERE: Susan Katz Theatre at River of Grass Arts Park, 17195 Sheridan St. in Pembroke Pines.
TICKETS: $40 for adults and $30 for senior citizens and students. For more information and to buy tickets, visit http://pptopa.com.