Auditions: Tuesday 23th August at 7:30pm in the Playhouse bar.
Performance Dates: 26th-29th October 2022
Winner of the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers” follows the lives of teenage brothers Jay and Arty Kurnitz in the bustle of 1940’s Yonkers, New York.
With their father made to take job as a travelling salesman, on the road for work, a favour is asked and the boys move in with their estranged Grandmother and Aunt. They have to grow up, and along the way learn about maturity, responsibility and the importance of family.
Below is a character description for those involved. Playing ages can be fiddled with as necessary; if it says 35 and you’re 36, I’m sure that some form of arrangement can be made.
Jay: He is fifteen “and a half” years old. He insists on the “and a half”. The death of his mother forces him to be more mature than he is ready to be when his father leaves him and his younger brother with his family so he can sell scrap iron during World War Two.
Arty: Jay’s younger brother, he is 13 “and a half” years old. More of an observer than the rest of his family, he often goes with the flow of things, but also can be a little childish.
Bella: Jay and Arty’s thirty-five-year-old aunt. She is not necessarily always “present” and is mentally challenged, but despite this she is very much loving and protective of her nephews.
Louie: Jay and Arty’s flamboyant, jovial uncle, in his late 30s; Louie comes to live with the family when he is hiding from the local mob. He is considered by Grandma Kurnitz to be the “survivor” of the family. It is rumoured that he works as a “bag-man” for the mob.
Grandma Kurnitz: Jay and Arty’s grandmother. An old and stern woman, and an immigrant from Germany. Owing to her harsh childhood, she has always been very intolerant of what in others she calls “weaknesses”. She is blunt, and always knows what is going on with the people around her.
Eddie: Jay and Arty’s middle-aged father. After the death of his wife, he is forced to send his two sons to live with their grandmother, while he repays his large financial debts. He is shown to be, much like his sisters, a nervous wreck around Grandma.
Gert: Jay and Arty’s aunt. She is a very interesting addition to the family. Her most noticeable issue is that when she breathes she has a tendency to suck in while still speaking, as a result of trauma instilled in her by Mother, from a young age.
If you have even the slightest interest in any role, or backstage, get in touch.