Act II Playhouse In Ambler Presents Neil Simon's BILOXI BLUES

Act II Playhouse presents Neil Simon's Broadway comedy Biloxi Blues, on stage in Ambler from Aug. 28-Sept. 23.

In this dramatic comedy, inspired by Simon's own life, young soldier Eugene Morris Jerome goes to boot camp and learns about sex, love, and war. It's the second of Simon's autobiographical comedies, following Brighton Beach Memoirs, which Act II produced in 2016. (Audiences do not need to have seenBrighton Beach Memoirs to appreciate Biloxi Blues.)

"Brighton Beach Memoirs was one of our best-selling shows here at Act II Playhouse, and that was due in large part to the breakout performance of D.J. Gleason as Eugene Morris Jerome," said Artistic Director Tony Braithwaite, who is directing the production. "Our audiences universally adored D.J. Having played Eugene in Biloxi Blues when I was much younger (at the Hedgerow Theatre in 1997), I knew that Biloxi would also be tailor made for D.J. And we likely wouldn't be doing the show if it weren't for him!"

Biloxi Blues also stars Andrew Criss as Sgt. Merwin J. Toomey, the hard-nosed officer who both abuses and instructs Jerome and his fellow soldiers. Actors Luke Bradt, Zachary J. Chiero, Andrew Criss, Ryan Hagan, Chris Monaco, and Michael Rizzo play Jerome's fellow soldiers. Actresses Heather Plank and Anne Wechsler round out the cast as Rowena and Daisy.

Tickets for Biloxi Blues at Act II Playhouse are $31-$45. Tickets are available online at http://www.act2.org, by calling the Act II box office at (215) 654-0200, or in person at 56 E. Butler Ave. in Ambler. Discount subscriptions are also available for the entire 2018-19 season.

Braithwaite calls the show "one of Neil Simon's greatest works."

"Biloxi Blues won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1985, beating out plays by David Rabe and August Wilson among others that season," Braithwaite explained. "Frank Rich, the impactful New York Times critic who was not always kind to Neil Simon, said this of the show, 'Besides being extremely funny, Biloxi Blues is Mr. Simon's first serious attempt to examine his conscience as an artist and a Jew.'"