New York Babylon

Woody Allen has Manhattan. Neil Simon has Yonkers. But for local playwright Gregg Tomé, there’s only one town in the state of New York he needs to keep apprise of, and that’s his hometown of Babylon, Long Island. The town is special to him for a number of reasons, not...

By Jason Budjinski

January 5, 2006

[
        {
          "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
          "component": "16971022",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "15769925",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Rectangle 2x - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782206",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782207",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Woody Allen has Manhattan. Neil Simon has Yonkers. But for local playwright Gregg Tomé, there’s only one town in the state of New York he needs to keep apprise of, and that’s his hometown of Babylon, Long Island. The town is special to him for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the loads of praise lavished upon the play it inspired him to write – Back to Babylon. Set in the 1970s, the one-man play – acted out by Tomé himself -- weaves together the stories of nine disparate but fully acquainted townspeople. Like many a reminiscent coming-of-age tale, Back to Babylon begins with a guy mulling over his ten-year high school reunion. Donny, the first character, opens the story by recounting the people and events that defined his teenage years. Soon, we hear from eight other Babylonians, as Tomé transforms from ponderous twentysomething to wild and confused teenager to, finally, a slightly daft senior citizen. It’s tragic (the silly daredevil), it’s comic (the barmy old guy), and it’s something any small-town person can relate to (just look at your neighbors).
Jan. 6-Feb. 25

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.