Lost in Yonkers is a play of pain, loss, and compassion, and the Beer Sheva Theatre production of Neil Simon’s play, translated and directed by Micah Lewensohn, evokes those feelings with a sensitive, light touch, with excellent ensemble performances.
In this coming-of-age story set in WWII, one views the play from the perspective of Jay (Adam Shnal) and Arty (Nir Peretz), two brothers who have recently lost their mother. Dressed in the style of the era, the 15-and-a-half-year-old eldest in a plaid suit, while his 13-and-a-half-year-old brother is still in knickers, the two boys are perched uncomfortably in their Grandma Kurnitz’s living room. The drab greens and browns, and lack of adornment give no indication of the family-owned candy store below. None of the bright colors associated with candy and ice cream permeate this household, which has an oppressive, closed-in feel – the world is outside, its presence and the era intimated by video in black and white, while the family is trapped inside this unyielding interior. The only real sign of life in the room are the two boys, whose vitality and exuberance cannot be extinguished, even in these dire days.
All scenes take place within this home, emphasizing the sense that all members of the family are locked in certain patterns of behavior. The hardships endured by Grandma Kurnitz (Liat Goren) from her childhood in Germany through widowhood and raising her children alone in the Great Depression, have made her strong and stern. She is not a cuddly grandma who embraces her children and grandchildren with unconditional love. On the contrary, when the boy’s father Eddie must travel for work to repay debts incurred during his wife’s illness, he nervously instructs Jay and Arty to make an effort to convince their Grandma to let them stay with her. Not an easy task. Goren creates an imposing and formidable figure in this role, unrelenting in her strict ways, yet not without a spark of wit.
Both Schnal and Peretz are excellent in portraying the boy’s resistance to this exile, their youthful energy and optimism standing in stark contrast to their surroundings. Much credit is due to Lewensohn in his work with the young actors, eliciting an unaffected and endearing stage presence, nuanced in physical and verbal expression, even to the subtle distinction between 13 and 15 – one is still very much a child, albeit a very bright one, and the other is on the brink of an adult’s comprehension, yet with the impetuous volatile emotions of a teenager.
Coming to live in their grandmother’s home, the boys become better acquainted with their aunts and uncle, each in his or her own way bearing the scars of their harsh upbringing by Grandma Kurnitz. The family’s quirks and dysfunction, as well as the boys’ restless dissatisfaction, is described in Neil Simon’s unique perspective, at once humorous and empathetic. Gertie is afflicted with a speech impediment, wheezing and choking at the ends of her sentences, a symptom experienced only when she visits her mother. Adva Edni is very funny in this role, and her rather more rare appearances in the play serve to lighten the mood. A larger role in the boys’ Yonkers sojourn is played by Uncle Louie (Oren Cohen), who comes to chill for a while, a debonair small-time gangster in his black pinstripe suit, it is evident that he has a lot of appeal for his young nephews. Cohen does an excellent job of expressing the duality of Louie’s character, at once smart and corrupt, with a charm that can become menacing at the drop of a hat.
Yet the heart of the play is Bella (Shiri Gandi), who at age 35 still lives at home with her mother. Developmentally affected, Bella has difficulty maintaining a continuous thread of thought, and her understanding is, in some ways limited. She spends all her free time at the movies, watching romances, and the line between fantasy and reality is not always as clear as it ought to be. When one first sees Bella she appears child-like, with her hair in two long braids, as excited as a child about making the boys milkshakes, and as easily hurt and angry as a child. Gandi is wonderfully expressive in this role, with its quicksilver shifts in mood and tone. If Grandma Kurnitz is all pragmatic concerns and strict rules, Bella is all heart, showering the boys with love. Despite her confusion and distraction, Bella has an understanding of the emotions, and the play is as much Bella’s belated coming of age, as it is the that of the two boys.
Lost in Yonkers
by Neil Simon
Translated and directed by Micah Lewensohn; Set design: Neta Haker; Costume design: Svetlana Breger; Lighting designer: Adi Shimrony; Composer and sound designer: Eldad Lidor; Video editor and designer: Adam Lewensohn; Cast: Udi Ben David (Eddie), Shiri Gandi (Bella), Liat Goren (Grandma Kurnitz), Oren Cohen (Louie), Adva Edni (Gert), Nir Peretz/Yoav Sadian Rosenberg (Arty), Adam Shnal (Jay).
