Biloxi Blues Play Summary
Biloxi blues is a semi autobiographical play by neil simon.
Biloxi blues play summary. Army at the end of world war ii. In the 1980s the author already an established comedic playwright turned to his own life for inspiration and produced a trilogy of semi autobiographical plays. Synopsis in this adaptation of a semi autobiographical neil simon play young eugene morris jerome matthew broderick enlists in the u s. From the play by neil simon.
The play won the t. It focuses on a group of military privates stationed in biloxi mississippi through the perspective of young soldier eugene jerome. This play is the second chapter in what is known as his eugene trilogy following brighton beach memoirs and preceding broadway bound and is the only one in which eugene is not the central character. It portrays the conflict of sergeant merwin j.
The movie mike nichols has directed from the play is pale shallow unconvincing and predictable and tells us less about the characters than we already. At basic training in biloxi mississippi eugene is determined to use his army experiences to help his writing career and keeps detailed memoirs about his experiences. Biloxi blues was the twenty first play by neil simon to reach the broadway stage in twenty four years. Biloxi blues is the second in a trilogy of semi autobiographical plays by neil simon that cover the life of a writer growing up in 1930s new york city.
Biloxi blues may indeed be based on memories from neil simon s experiences in basic training during world war ii but it seems equally based on every movie ever made about basic training and it suffers by comparison with most of them. With matthew broderick christopher walken matt mulhern corey parker. The play opens in. Toomey and arnold epstein one of many privates enlisted in the military stationed in biloxi mississippi seen through the eyes of eugene jerome one of the other soldiers.
The second play in simon s autobiographical trilogy biloxi blues continues the saga of eugene jerome s coming of age as he survives ten weeks of army basic training in 1943. A group of young recruits go through boot camp during the second world war in biloxi mississippi. The eugene trilogy begins with the play brighton beach memoirs and ends with broadway bound. Directed by mike nichols.
Expecting the army to be dolls donuts and uso dances he instead encounters a sadistic drill sergeant and a platoon of often hostile recruits. New york city teenager eugene jerome enlists in the united states army and is sent to basic training in biloxi mississippi during the last year of world war ii. He is shipped from his brooklyn home to basic training in biloxi mississippi.