A young boy from Brooklyn comes of age in the first play in Neil Simon s semi-autobiographical Eugene Trilogy --followed by Biloxi Blues and Broadway Bound. Meet Eugene Jerome and his family fighting the hard times and sometimes each other--with laughter tears and love. It is 1937 in Brooklyn during the heart of the Depression. Fifteen-year-old Eugene Jerome lives in Brighton Beach with his family. He is witty perceptive obsessed with sex and forever fantasizing his baseball-diamond triumphs as star pitcher for the New York Yankees. As our guide through his memoirs Eugene takes us through a series of trenchant observations and insights that show his family meeting life s challenges with pride spirit and a marvelous sense of humor. But as World War II looms ever closer Eugene sees his own innocence slipping away as the first important era of his life ends--and a new one begins. Winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play