Brighton Beach Memoirs

Character Descriptions

Eugene Jerome:  Age Range: 15-18 – The precocious protagonist.  This role has more sides than a diamond.  He must be sarcastic to the other characters without being annoying to the audience.  While the show centers on Eugene’s entrance into young adulthood, the asides he gives to the audience must have a nostalgic remembrance of a 40-year-old man recounting his youth.  This means whoever accepts this role must present the innocence of a teenager, along with the jaded perspective of a middle-aged man.

Stanley Jerome: Age Range: 18-22 – Eugene’s older brother and travel guide to the intricacies of being a teenager.  Stan; like most older brothers presents Eugene with his own eschewed perspective on life, women, and well…self-exploration.  Stanley achieves his own sense of growth through the show by coming to terms with his escape from young-adulthood to becoming a functioning and viable member of the Jerome household.

Kate Jerome: Age Range: 40-50 – The matriarch of the Jerome clan.  Kate is brash, no-nonsense and yet still exudes an air of sensitivity and wisdom.  While her rationale is often presented with the obscurity of a fortune cookie.  Her point is always taken and is always right (at least in her eyes).

Jack Jerome: Age Range: 45-55 – The patriarch of the Jerome household.  Jack is forced to work round-the-clock hours, which was a necessitated by the era the show takes place in.  Despite his complete exhaustion he still always finds time for his family and possesses a keen insight to the woes of his house.

Blanche Morton: Age Range: 35-45 – Kate’s younger sister.  She and her daughters (Nora & Laurie) moved in with the Jerome’s after the passing of her husband.  Blanche is the “swan” of the show, both internal and external.  She starts the show as a meek and timid woman who has never stood on her own two feet, comfortable in her complacency and evolves into a woman hungering for independence and respect. 

Nora Morton: Age Range: 16-19- Blanche’s oldest daughter and largest headache.  Nora yearns to break free from the restraints of lower class living. Nora dreams of being a showgirl and ultimately making it big on Broadway.  She still copes with the loss of her Father and resents her mother’s hands-off approach to parenting.

Laurie Morton: Age Range: 12-16 – Laurie is the youngest of the house and ultimately the little “princess”. Born with a heart flutter, she has been catered to her entire life.  Her primary role in the show is to act as antagonist to Eugene and confidant to Nora.