The big star of this show is our 15-year-old narrator performed by remarkable young talent Andrew Levy. He easily wins the audience over right from the start – a lovable character who is easy to laugh at and sympathize with. He dreams of being drafted into the major leagues, but if that doesn’t work out he’ll settle on being a writer. As the second son, he bears the brunt of the chores and the blame for everything that goes wrong in the house by his ever-critical mother, but he benefits by getting lessons in the facts of life from his elder brother. He’s eager to know those facts of life thanks to a crush he currently has on his beautiful 16 ½-year-old cousin Nora whose family is now living with them. His “mortal sin” of lusting for his first cousin causes him more than a little anxiety, and he is taking precautions to ensure that his memoirs will not be opened until 25 years after his death!

Andrew shines throughout, whether relating conspiratorially to the audience when he lets us in on his private thoughts and always amusing takes on his family members, or when trying to keep control when his cousin Nora is around, or in his eagerness to learn more about girls and sex from his older brother, or especially in his hysterical arguments with his cranky mother who, when she can’t think of a real reason to reprimand him, will think of something creative. Like when she yells at him to play quietly, and he responds that he’s only writing, and she screams, “Will do it QUIETLY!” Andrew looks to the audience for pity – and gets it.

The rest of Director George Flint’s cast give excellent performances as well. Paul Bourque is the calm, fair, hardworking dad who struggles to make ends meet during the Great Depression and tries do what’s right. Judy Durning is a hoot as the always-screaming mother and grabs your ire for her selfishness. Jeff Parker is entertaining as Eugene’s world-wise older brother who balances enjoying his young adult years with his financial responsibilities to his struggling family. Morgan Kei Matayoshi sparkles as Nora who can light up or darken both the stage and Eugene’s heart based on her mood. Kelly Felthous is the pampered and spoiled younger sister of Nora who gets out of chores by faking a “heart flutter,” and Terri Park is Eugene’s soft-spoken, widowed Aunt Blanche who feels nervous about her future and guilty about living off of her sister’s family. The family lives in a nice, modest, clean-looking house beautifully designed by Marty Burnett and decorated by Mike Buckley.