Laugh at me if you want, but I love Neil Simon. Although his perennially popular comedies are often dismissed as fluff, I’ve always found them to be superbly well-crafted. Perceptive, yet accessible. Witty, but not cruel. Warm, yet never sappy.

This is especially true of his later works, of which the semi-autobiographical Eugene trilogy forms a prominent part.

“Broadway Bound,” the last of the three plays, finds Eugene and his older brother Stanley trying to break into comedy writing while struggling to maintain their sanity in a household that includes a humorless mother, a philandering father and an absentminded grandfather.

The veteran cast was a little off their game last Sunday, with more than the usual number of flubs. But when they were on, they were sensational, knowing just when to play funny and when to pull back, and imbuing each of the characters with an authentic humanity, even if those characters aren’t always likable.

Amy Brooks strikes a difficult balance as Kate, the boys’ long-suffering mother, making her hard but never brittle in her fight to save her crumbling marriage.

Brothers Marco and Oscar Robinson are their usual hilarious selves as Eugene and Stanley, their passionate give-and-take ringing as true as their real-life relationship.

Funniest of all is Louis Schaefer as Grandpa Ben, a dedicated socialist who finds even the soup on his plate to be political.

I also have to mention the gorgeously detailed set by Christopher Sheley, which captures the cozy ambience of a 1940s Brooklyn two-story while providing a farce-worthy maze of rooms for the boys to roam as they argue over their first radio sketch.

“Broadway Bound” may not rise to the level of Art, but it will certainly move people’s hearts. And that may be the loftier goal.

After all, isn’t that what makes us human?

“Broadway Bound” by the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company

When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 25

Where: Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St.

Tickets: $26-$35; 634-5583 or csfineartscenter.org

GRADE: A

Marco Robinson, left, plays Eugene Jerome and his brother Oscar Robinson plays Stanley Jerome in ‘Broadway Bound.’ Photo by Courtesy of the Fine Arts Center