The journey from uber-civilized Manhattan to the lesser city of Yonkers is not unlike that from, say, Capitol Hill to the wilds of downtown Everett. You get the distinct feeling that you are leaving a convenient community of likeminded souls for a primal backcountry where your own family might betray you.
Lost in Yonkers, Neil Simon's 1991 Tony upon Tony Award-winning dark comedy, is a full color dissection of familial dysfunction, circa 1942. You'll laugh, and as you do, you'll wince.
Directed by Tony Award-winner Brian Yorkey, Grandma Kurnitz (Suzy Hunt) houses and hounds teenage brothers Arty and Jay (Nick Robinson and Collin Morris), while their semi-deadbeat dad plays Willy Loman in a desperate attempt to pay off his dead wife's hospital bills. Hilarious! This isn't the Yonkers seen in the effervescent musical cocktail Hello, Dolly!. This is a Yonkers where survival mode is a constant — almost comfortable — state that inspires acts of self-protection that are simultaneously humorous and pathetic.
The production is Village Theatre's first stab at the ubiquitous Simon's Pulitzer Prize-winning classic. In fact, this is the first professional production of Lost in Yonkers to be seen in the Seattle area in more than 10 years. (The Village Theatre debuted this show in Issaquah in January).
Lost in Yonkers runs March 5-28 at the Everett Performing Arts Center, 2710 Wetmore Ave. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, with 2 p.m. matinees Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets are $17-$52 and are available by calling (888) 257-3722 or visiting www.villagetheatre.org.
