Hillel Theater Group (HTG) put on four performances of Neil Simon's "Biloxi Blues" this past weekend. Directed by Zach Friedman '05, the play was an emotional and enjoyable experience. Since I have never seen an HTG production before, I did not know what to expect, and I was very impressed with the level of professionalism and the talent exhibited on the stage.The show started at traditional Brandeis time - ten minutes late - and the story that began to unfold was that of a young Jewish boy training for the army during World War II. As an aspiring writer, the main character, Eugene N. Jerome, wrote down everything that happened in his memoirs and his thoughts on those events. The play continues to follow Eugene through his adventures and his dealings with the eccentric Sergeant Toomey, the defiant Arnold Epstein and his fellow platoon mates. The play also deals with Jewish issues such as a racist platoon mate and stereotypes being thrown at Jerome and Epstein because they are Jewish. The play sees Jerome lose his virginity, fall in love and be sent off to war. The play is Neil Simon's coming-of-age story based on his life, and it is truly a touching narrative. HTG did a fabulous job in picking the play to perform.

The actors also did a fabulous job, and the director did a great job picking the cast. Evan Greene '04 played Eugene Jerome, and his performance was exceptional. I am somewhat familiar with Neil Simon, and Greene played the role exactly as I thought it should be done. He had the nervous energy that is often expressed in Simon's work, and he was extremely believable in the role. While he sometimes stumbled over his lines, it did not hurt his performance in any way, and his acting definitely stood out as superior.

Gustavo Cutz '05 portrayed Arnold Epstein, the geeky character that refused to listen to higher authority. He also had a memorable performance. Epstein was a character that was constantly coming head to head with Sergeant Toomey and challenging everything Toomey did. His character had many emotional scenes and monologues that were not easy to perform and required a lot of acting ability. Cutz rose to the occasion and delivered the emotion realistically. He embodied the character of Epstein.

Another stand-out performance was Jonathan Rockwood Hoar '04 as Sergeant Toomey. Toomey was also an interesting individual to portray because he is an eccentric and harsh character. Hoar has had a lot of acting experience and also serves in the Mountain Infantry in the U.S. Army. He attributed his ability to play this role to his Army experience. Whatever helped him in his performance truly made his talent shine through on the stage.

Four other notable actors were Adam Schwartzbaum '07 as Roy Selridge, Max Louik '05 as Joseph Wykowski, Andrew Davies '06 as Donald Carney and Guy Frenkel '04 as James Hennesey. Each of these actors did a great job portraying their respective army privates' characters. Schwartzbaum was the hotheaded Selridge that always thought he know what was right. Louik was also great as the bully Wykowski that continuously pushed people around. Davies did a wonderful portrayal of Carney and had a very emotional crying scene. Frenkel also had a great role as the homosexual Hennesey. He is punished for homosexual activity, as is it illegal in the Army. All four of these actors did a really great job portraying the people that helped shape Eugene's life.

Two other roles that should not go without mention were Gwen Tulin '07 as the prostitute Rowena and Sara Friedlander '05 as Daisy Hannigan. While each of their parts were small, these two women did a distinguished job portraying their characters. As Rowena, Tulin did a very funny scene with Greene when Eugene loses his virginity. She was very convincing as the experienced prostitute that had maybe seen a little too much of life. Friedlander as Daisy, Eugene's love interest, was also realistic in her role as a good Catholic girl who was falling in love with an army man.

Overall, "Biloxi Blues" was a highly enjoyable performance with a lot of talent in one show. HTG struck gold with this production, and it will not soon be forgotten.