Bella, center (Minnie Maloney) explains to her two nephews, Jay, left (Tim Daly) and Arty, right (Drew Claxton) her plans in Neil Simon’s play Lost In Yonkers which plays weekends, January 16 through February 1, 2015 at Church Hill Theatre.
Neil Simon’s Pulitzer Prize winning play Lost in Yonkers launches Church Hill Theatre’s 2015 season, opening January 16 and running through February 1. This production of Simon’s highly regarded comedy features several newcomers to the Church Hill stage, all promising to do justice to this lively show which displays the good, bad and hilarious of a family struggling in difficult circumstances in a difficult world.
CHT had considered this play for some years but deferred production, concerned about finding young actors to play Jay and Arty Kurnitz, the teenagers who feel abandoned in their grandmother’s Yonkers apartment during the post-Depression early days of World War II. As it turned out, director Pat Patterson double-cast the teenagers, impressed by their auditions. One set of brothers will be played by Tim Daly (Jay) and Drew Claxton (Arty). Tim, a 13-year-old from Queen Anne, appeared in CHT’s musicals South Pacific, Oliver and The Music Man but this will be his first featured role. Drew, making his CHT debut, is a 12-year-old from Grasonville who has acted in TV commercials. Chestertown brothers Steven and Zachary Goss will also be making their CHT debuts. 15-year-old Steven, a Gunston School student, will play Jay and Zach, a 13-year-old student at the Kent School, plays Arty.
Minnie Maloney, another newcomer and first-time actor from Millington, will play Bella Kurnitz, the boys’ slightly addled but loving aunt. CHT veteran Jeff Daly plays the boys’ father Eddie. Dylan Lyles, a Chesapeake College student, plays their Uncle Louie, while Rachel Goss, Steve and Zach’s mother off-stage, plays Gert, the boys’ other aunt. The stern and rather terrifying Grandma Kurnitz, who owns the Kurnitz Kandy Store and wields a wicked cane! – at least in the boys’ imagination – is played by Kathy Jones, who has extensive CHT credits.
Grandma Kurnitz (Kathy Jones) gives her family, left to right grandson Arty (Zachary Goss), son Eddie (Jeff Daly), grandson Jay (Tim Daly) and daughter Gert (Rachel Goss) reasons why the boys should not live with her in Neil Simon’s play Lost In Yonkers which plays weekends, January 16 through February 1, 2015 at Church Hill Theatre.
Like many of his plays, Lost in Yonkers draws upon Simon’s experiences growing up in a dysfunctional New York Jewish family during the Depression. He finds humor and humanity in the lives of average people through witty dialogue and memorable characters. Some critics regard Lost in Yonkers as Simon’s best play.
Lost in Yonkers runs from January 16 to February 1, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and on Sundays at 2 pm. Call the box office at 410-556-6003 or visit the website www.churchhilltheatre.org for details and reservations. CHT offers special 2 – for – 1 price tickets on opening night, Friday, January 16, but only to those who phone for reservations or purchase tickets still available at the box office on Opening Night.
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