'Lost in Yonkers' is a family affair

Neil Simon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Lost in Yonkers” has found its way to the Sarasota Jewish Theatre stage. It’s a comedy/drama about a strange family.

Think your family is weird? The Kurnitz family is as weird as it gets. In the summer of 1942, two adolescent boys will discover the depths of its weirdness.

Arty (Declan Moyer) and Jay (Aaron Garcia De Leon) rarely visit their Yonkers relatives. But their father, Eddie (Scott Ehrenpreis), has told them stories.

Courtesy image

They’ve heard about Grandma Kurnitz (Carolyn Michel), the tyrannical matriarch; Gerta (Jill Schroeder), the wheezing aunt; Bella (Josephine Phoenix), the wacky aunt; and Louie (Michael Raver), the shady uncle. This summer, they’ll get to see these legends with their own eyes.

Without explanation, their father dresses the boys in itchy formal clothing. He then drives them from the Bronx to Grandma’s in Yonkers. She lives above a candy store — but she’s no Willy Wonka.

Surprise, surprise! Grandma’s harsh realm will be their summer home. The boys didn’t know that in advance — and they already knew things were bad. Jay and Arty watched their mother slowly waste away from cancer.

But they didn’t know their father took on crushing debt to pay her medical bills. He owes a mobster $9,000 — and has one year to pay it. To climb out of financial ruin, Eddie hits the road “selling scrap iron to build ships and tanks.” There’s a war on, and Eddie’s confident that old iron will settle his debt before the deadline.

Grandma reluctantly agrees to take in the boys in while he’s gone.Jay and Arty plunge down the rabbit hole into an unfeeling Wonderland. 

Grandma rules her home with a cold, steel will. Why? She’s a survivor. She’s a German-Jewish immigrant. Her steely coldness was forged by antisemitic violence and the loss of two children. She’s determined to keep the rest, by any means necessary.

Grandma’s remaining adult children carry the legacy of their mother’s emotional unavailability. Gert (Stephanie Cozart) sounds like Darth Vader’s wheezing sister. Louie (Alec Beard), a swaggering bagman for the mob, attributes his toughness to his mother’s example. Eddie seems like a bundle of insecurities.

The childlike Bella (Josephine Phoenix) may be mentally challenged — or frozen at that stage of development by her mother’s strict control. In the summer of  ’42, Bella has the needs of a 35-year-old woman, not just a child. That ultimately leads to a showdown with Grandma.

Director Carole Kleinberg deftly balances the complexities of the family dynamics and the crisp rhythms of Simon’s dialogue. Under her direction, the cast finds the wit and weight of Simon’s story.

Michel’s Grandma Kurnitz is a force of nature — intimidating yet still deeply human. She could easily be the heavy of the piece. But as the play unfolds, Michel reveals the buried humanity of her complex character.

Cozart’s Gert proves her character’s more than a punchline. Phoenix’ Bella is bursting with heart and soul — and delivers the play’s emotional gut punch when she finally stands up to Grandma.  

Raver’s Louie is a scene-stealing mix of menace and charm. Living outside the law is his character’s variation on his mother’s Darwinian survival strategy. Ehrenpreis’ Eddie initially seems like a timid Nowhere Man. But he’s far from weak. His character survives his trial by fire. As Arty and Jay, Moyer and De Leon show acting talent far beyond their years.

“Lost in Yonkers” is top-shelf Neil Simon — a 200-proof distillation of rapid-fire laughs and deep-seated pain. It’s an epic of survival, resilience and the hidden faces of love in broken families.

Helped along by Simon’s sharp dialogue and snappy comedic beats, this play leaves a lasting impression. You’ll definitely remember this crazy family. They might remind you of your own.