Lost in Yonkers Review in The Daily Free Press
‘Lost in Yonkers’ finds a home at Lyric
Stephanie Lash
Muse Staff
Neil Simon may be “Lost in Yonkers,” but he's been found in Boston.
The Lyric Stage presents Simon's Pulitzer-Prize winning play through
Oct. 18, allowing plenty of time for audiences to lose themselves in
the lives of his beautifully rich characters tied together by the
strongest and most tumultuous bond: family.
Much like Simon's other plays, based loosely on his childhood
experiences in New York, Yonkers follows the lives of two brothers. Jay
and Arty's mother has recently died of cancer, and their father Eddie
is deep in debt after borrowing money to pay for the treatments. Eddie
takes a job as a traveling salesman, forcing the boys to live with
their glacial, distant German grandmother. An obstinate and unfeeling
woman, Grandmother Kurnitz terrorizes the boys' daily existence by
punishing any show of emotion and reminding them of her unwillingness
to take them in. This pressure, combined with an array of eccentric
aunts and uncles, creates the quintessential Simon situation.
Brothers Jesse and Matthew Soursourian portray the two boys, doing so
with a professionalism that far belies their ages (17 and 12,
respectively). Although they have enunciation and projection
difficulties, both give fair performances. Matthew, especially, has the
potential to be a skilled comic actor and proves to be even more in
tune with the smart-alecky Arty than his brother. Robert Saoud is
believable as their father, and Ilyse Robbins, as Gert, manages to
maintain her integrity in the thankless role of the aunt who inhales
the last half of her sentences.
But while the brothers might be the focal point, they are not the
shining stars. Ken Baltin is a charmer as Louie, the uncle tenuously
tied to the mob. Lighting up the stage with his tough-guy allure,
Baltin is a veteran Simon performer and the experience has clearly made
him even stronger.
The standout comes in the form of Sarah Newhouse, who charms the
audience with her complex performance of Bella, the 35-year-old aunt
who has spent her life in her mother's home and still has the mind of a
child. What starts in the makings of a supporting character comes to
fully realized fruition in the second act, when Newhouse shows she has
tackled the difficult task of completely immersing herself in the
character. Her smiling demeanor, childlike wonder and trust are
irresistible, and the audience cannot help but feel a connection with
her as she struggles to find the emotional support her mother never
provided. Newhouse doesn't beg for the sympathy she so richly deserves,
and that is the reason she is able to so skillfully evoke it.
The dramatic action plays out against the backdrop of a drab, weathered
Yonkers apartment atop the family-owned candy store. Scenic designer
Janie E. Howland has perfectly encapsulated the 1940s era with details
from the small radio in the corner to the lace covers on the sofas. The
allusion to a window seat downstage provides an interesting perspective
for the actors to look out of the window and into the audience. Jane
Hillier-Walkowiak's costume designs also blend into the scenery,
completing the period look.
Director Spiro Veloudos has pulled together a commendable production.
However, it lacks in basic areas that seem too blatant to overlook.
Actors with their backs to the audience and choppy segues between
scenes take away from the overall enjoyment of the production, but
Simon's masterpiece is worthwhile regardless of the detractions.
Difficult to class as either a comedy or drama, the play combines humor
and sentiment even-handedly, creating a perfect blend. And Newhouse,
with her heart string-tugging performance, more than makes up for the
areas in which some of her co-stars may lack.
It almost makes you want to get lost in Yonkers, too.
