Auditions for 45 Seconds From Broadway

Learn more about auditions at Surfside Playhouse.

Synopsis

It is said that Neil Simon’s 45 Seconds from Broadway is Simon’s “Valentine to New York.” Set in the Polish Tea Room (a coffee shop / restaurant based on the real life Edison Cafe in New York City), characters wander in and out, sitting down, chatting with each other, building friendships, and giving glimpses into their lives in the “Big Apple.” Bernie and Zelda run the place and make it what it is – a home away from home for everyone who enters. They also help young, starving artists by giving them food, advice, and employment. Established actors and native New Yorkers also frequent the coffee shop, bringing character, humor, and wisdom with them. 45 Seconds from Broadway is play about normal, everyday people, their tragedies and triumphs, and the small coffee shop / restaurant in which they sit, relax, and spend time among friends.

Character Breakdowns

Mickey Fox: 60s. New York accent. Vigorous and alert. A Jewish comedian, Mickey Fox “makes no attempt to hide the accent he grew up with in the lower East Side of New York.” He has been in the business for many, many years and is quite well-known. Some would even say he’s famous.

Mickey is loud, brash, and constantly cracking jokes, onstage and off. He is also a bit of womanizer. He is divorced and now constantly chases after younger women. He is a patron of Bernie and Zelda’s Polish Tea Room, a coffee shop / restaurant near Times Square. He, like many of the customers, has become friends with Bernie and Zelda. He also, when asked, gives advice to the struggling artists who often frequent the coffee shop. He makes friends easily and is able to take the hard things in life, turn them into jokes, and make those listening laugh.

Andrew Duncan: Early 50s. British accent. A British theatre producer, Andrew Duncan has flown out to New York to ask comedian Mickey Fox to come to England and do a revival of Fiddler on the Roof.
Duncan is well dressed, wears glasses, and is good at what he does. He goes after what he wants, and doesn’t stop until he gets it. After Mickey turns down the Fiddler on the Roof revival, Duncan leaves, but returns again to invite the comedian to do a smaller play, but something that’s a little more heartfelt. It is due to Duncan’s tenacity and persuasiveness that Mickey accepts the second offer.

Harry Fox: New York Accent. About two years older than his brother Mickey, Harry would be around 62. Harry Fox is the brother of comedian Mickey Fox. He walks and talks like Mickey, and also dresses like him. Harry owns a stationery store in Philadelphia and fully recognizes that he is not the “funny one” of the two brothers. He is married, settled, and a bit envious of his brother’s life, which seems more exciting. There is a bit of a rift between the two Fox brothers, as Harry has always felt that has lived his life in his brother’s shadow. Still, Harry does love Mickey, and is also truly proud of his brother’s success in show business. He tells Mickey, ” … if I didn’t have you, I could have a shadow a mile long, but I wouldn’t have you, my kid brother…

Solomon Mantutu: Black South African, South African accent. The script states, “He speaks with the sound of Africa in it. He is polite but not bowed despite his worn clothing.” Solomon Mantutu is a South African playwright and teacher. He has been brought to New York by producers to have the first play he’s ever written produced. Sadly, the producers soon run out of money, leaving Solomon stranded in the Big Apple. Solomon ends up in a coffee shop/restaurant that is run by Bernie and Zelda.

There, he continues working on his play, begins to make friends, and figures out how to survive and live in New York by getting a job as a waiter in the coffee shop. Solomon is a wise, quiet, intelligent, and kind man. Solomon is someone that friends and acquaintances often turn to for advice. He looks on the bright side of things and doesn’t let his misfortunes trouble him too much.

Mr. Charles Browning: is something of an enigma. He and his wife, Mrs. Browning, come to Bernie and Zelda’s Polish Tea Room “maybe two, maybe three times a year.” Until the very end of the play, he is quiet, playing second fiddle to his loquacious and dramatic wife. It is assumed that there is something wrong with him, and that his wife looks after him. It is only in the last scene that the tables are turned, and everyone realizes that it is, in fact, Mr. Browning who takes care of his unstable wife. It is apparent that he loves her very much, and is doing everything in his power to make her happy.

Mrs. Rayleen Browning: Elderly, but of indeterminate age. is, quite possibly, just a little bit crazy. She and her husband, Mr. Charles Browning, come to Bernie and Zelda’s tea room in midtown Manhattan two or three times a year. When Mrs. Browning first enters the tea room, “her face has so much makeup on, it’s hard to know what she really looks like. She wears a very bad wig, mostly blondish, more orangey. It sits high and comes down below her neck. She wears a fur coat, knee length. And boots. The fur, if that’s what it is, seems to be made of pieces of fur from every animal ever found. Strips of mink, squirrel, white cat, gray dog, and maybe a pinto horse. Yet she wears it well, with style.” Bernie, the owner of the tea room, he says of the two of them, “Comes in here two, maybe three times a year. Same coat, same man. Acts like it’s a fancy French restaurant. Always tells me she made a reservation. A reservation in a coffee shop…”

Bernie: Early 70s. Polish accent. The script states, “He stands straight and looks as strong as an ox. He has a full head of gray/white hair. He’s a charmer when he wants to be, but can handle himself.” Bernie and his wife, Zelda, are Jewish Poles who survived the camps in WWII. They, then, moved to America and established the Polish Tea Room (a coffee shop / restaurant) ) in midtown Manhattan, near the theatre district.

Zelda: “Easily 72,” according to the script. Polish accent.
Zelda and her husband, Bernie, are Jewish Poles who survived Hitler’s concentration camps in WWII. They, then, moved to America and established the Polish Tea Room (a coffee shop / restaurant) in midtown Manhattan, near the theatre district. She is deeply committed to her husband and loves him very much – which is why she gets so upset when he sells the restaurant without telling her. It all ends well, however, as the two have been married many years and have weathered many ups and downs together.

Megan Woods: Early 20s. is a young woman from Ohio who has come to New York to be an actress. It is her first time in a big city, and she is alone and a bit naive. She has a boyfriend back home and was going to get married, but her mother though she was “rushing it” and encouraged Megan to try something new, first. So, when Megan arrives in the city, she follows the advice of her mother and goes to the Polish Tea Room (a coffee shop / restaurant) looking for friendship, quidance, and help.

Cindy: New York accent used in some productions. Cindy is married, and a native New Yorker. She is best friends with Arlene. The two of them go and see shows together in New York City. Afterwards, they go to Bernie and Zelda’s Polish Tea Room to digest and critique what they’ve seen. Frank and opinionated, they are very honest about what they like and what they dislike. It soon becomes apparent that they don’t really know what they are talking about when critiquing, but that they do enjoy going to theatre, talking about it, and spending time with each other. The two of them are very likeable, and are frequently laughing about something.

Bess: African-American. Bess is is an established actress who frequents Bernie and Zelda’s Polish Tea Room. She, like many other customers, has become good friends with owners Bernie and Zelda. Bess has been acting for many years and knows the pros and cons of the business. She is also religious, and looks for the best in people. Bessie takes the young actress Megan Woods under her wing and gives her good, solid advice when she needs it. She becomes something of a mentor to Megan. In the end, Bessie “goes Hollywood”, meaning that she’s booked a TV series and, in her own words, “sold her soul for more money than she’d make in ten years on the stage.”

Arlene: New York accent used in some productions. Arlene is a native New Yorker, who is married, and has a fourteen-year-old daughter. She is best friends with Cindy, and the two of them go and see shows together in New York City. Afterwards, they go to Bernie and Zelda’s Polish Tea Room and critique what they’ve seen. They are very honest about what they like and what they dislike. It soon becomes apparent that they don’t really know what they are talking about when critiquing, but that they do enjoy going to the theatre, talking about it, and spending time with each other. The two of them are very likeable, and are frequently laughing about something.