Lost in Yonkers
| Lost in Yonkers | |
|---|---|
 Original Broadway poster |
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| Written by | Neil Simon |
| Characters | Jay Bella Louie Grandma Eddie Arty Gert |
| Date premiered | February 22, 1990 |
| Place premiered | Richard Rodgers Theatre New York City, New York |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | |
| Genre | Comic Drama |
| Setting | An apartment in Yonkers, New York, 1942 |
| IBDB profile | |
Lost in Yonkers is a 1991 Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Neil Simon. After eleven previews, the Broadway production, produced by Emanuel Azenberg and directed by Gene Saks, opened on February 21, 1991 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, where it ran for 780 performances. The original cast included Jamie Marsh as Jay, Irene Worth as Grandma, Mercedes Ruehl as Bella, Kevin Spacey as Louie, Lauren Klein as Gert, Danny Gerard as Arty, and Mark Blum as Eddie.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Lost in Yonkers is a coming of age tale that focuses on Jay Kurnitz, left in the care of his Grandma and Aunt Bella in Yonkers, New York. Jay's desperate father, Eddie, works as a traveling salesman to pay off debts incurred following the death of his wife. Distraught Jay is also called upon to raise his younger brother Arty. Grandma is a severe, frightfully intimidating immigrant who terrified her children as they were growing up, damaging each of them to varying degrees. Bella is a sweet but mentally slow and highly excitable woman who longs to marry an usher at the local movie house so she can escape the oppressive household and create a life and family of her own. Jay's uncle Louie is a small-time, tough-talking hoodlum, while his aunt Gert suffers from a breathing problem which is more psychological than physical. Jay must spend a year in the midst of the turmoil throughout the household. He encourages Bella to stand up to Grandma. When she does so, she moves away from Yonkers, leaving Jay in the house to put up with Grandma's abuse alone. Emotionally drained, Jay must come to terms with his life in Yonkers. Bella eventually returns, prepared to face her mother as an equal. Missing much of the sentimentality of the plays comprising Simon's earlier Eugene trilogy, Lost in Yonkers climaxes with a dramatic confrontation that creates a permanent fissure in Jay and his highly dysfunctional family.
[edit] Film adaptation
Simon adapted his play for a 1993 feature film directed by Martha Coolidge, and starring Brad Stoll as Jay. Worth and Ruehl reprised their stage roles, and Richard Dreyfuss was cast as Louie. Bella's beau Johnny, an unseen character in the play, was portrayed by David Strathairn.
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Awards
- 1991 Drama Desk Award for Best New Play
- 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
- 1991 Tony Award for Best Play
- 1991 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Jamie Marsh)
- 1991 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Mercedes Ruehl)
- 1991 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Play (Irene Worth)
- 1991 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Play (Kevin Spacey)
[edit] References
- Frank Rich (22 February 1991). "Review/Theater: Simon on Love Denied". The New York Times. http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?html_title=&tols_title=LOST%20IN%20YONKERS%20(PLAY)&pdate=19910222&byline=By%20FRANK%20RICH&id=1077011430624. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
[edit] External links
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