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Neil Simon sheds a comedic light on a
complicated family drama in Lost in Yonkers,
delivering theatre-goers a heartfelt
memory play that continues to astound
audiences. Simon’s Pulitzer and Tony
winning 1991 play tells the story of two
brothers left with their no-nonsense
grandmother, their loving but absentminded
Aunt Bella, and her small-time
hoodlum brother in a strange new world
called Yonkers.
When Simon began writing plays, he was
warned not to mix comedy and drama.
“But my theory was, if it’s mixed in life,
why can’t you do it in a play?” he said.
Simon had found that in comedies the
audience must like every character. “In
life do we have to like everybody?”
Lost in Yonkers director Bryce Alexander
finds Simon’s blend of comedy and
drama both timeless and refreshing. “The
play is as relatable today as it was when
it was written,” he said. “At its heart, the
play is about family – and how we sometimes
feel disconnected from differing
generations. How could grandma think
that way? Or how can those kids act that
way? And yet – it is our varied experiences
that help our families come together.”
While the New York Post considered Lost
in Yonkers Neil Simon’s best written play,
Newsweek heralded it as a place where
laughter and tears come together to create
a new emotional truth—a new kind of
laughter that comes from the heart.
The Naples Players will stage that new
kind of laughter from the heart this spring
with Lost in Yonkers.
Lost in Yonkers opens on
May 1 and runs through
May 26 in Blackburn Hall.
FOR MORE SHOW
INFORMATION AND TICKETS:
www.NaplesPlayers.org
or call our Box Office at
(239) 263-7990
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