<P> The play became popular on Broadway . In 1983 Dolores Dolan of The New York Times said that after it achieved popularity on Broadway, the community of Brighton Beach "attracted some notice" when it had historically "receive (d) little attention". </P> <P> In 1986 the play was adapted into a movie directed by Gene Saks with the screenplay by Neil Simon . The cast featured Jonathan Silverman (Eugene), Blythe Danner (Kate), Bob Dishy (Jack), Lisa Waltz (Nora), Brian Drillinger (Stanley), Stacey Glick (Laurie), and Judith Ivey (Blanche). The film frequently breaks the fourth wall by having Eugene speak directly to the camera . </P> <P> Roger Ebert, in his review for the Chicago Sun - Times wrote: "The movie feels so plotted, so constructed, so written, that I found myself thinking maybe they shouldn't have filmed the final draft of the screenplay . Maybe there was an earlier draft that was a little disorganized and unpolished, but still had the jumble of life in it...The movie was directed by Gene Saks, who directs many of Simon's plays on both the stage and the screen, and whose gift is for the theater . His plays have the breath of life; his movies feel like the official authorized version . Everything is by the numbers ." </P>

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