Why Neil Simon’s Hit Play Flopped On Broadway

What went wrong with “Brighton Beach Memoirs” is a case study in success and failure on Broadway today. There were no big stars like Jude Law in the current commercial hit “Hamlet,” there was no marketing campaign that framed the Simon play as a can’t-miss theatrical event, and there was no wow factor that brought the period piece to life, like the breakneck pacing of the popular farce “Boeing-Boeing” last year. But the failure also reflects America’s evolving sense of humor and taste.