Lost in Yonkers

Bridge Players Theatre Company proudly announces the third production of its 2011-2012 season, Lost in Yonkers, a comedy-drama by playwright Neil Simon.  Set in Yonkers in the summer of 1942, this coming-of-age tale revolves around a Jewish-American family and the difficulties faced by two young brothers forced to live with a group of eccentric relatives.  Lost in Yonkers won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play in 1991.

Director Susan Jami Paschkes, of Mount Laurel, says, "Neil Simon's brilliance lies in exploring a dysfunctional family, and highlighting the humor that's a natural response to the dramatic situations in which the characters find themselves. The Kurnitz family strikes a familiar chord - the oddball aunt, the rebel uncle, the peacemaker father...they make our lives more colorful and memorable. My passion for this play lies in the challenge it presents for me as a director, a guide for the actors in bringing the family to life.  I've been blessed with a tremendously talented and dedicated cast, and have no doubt that the result of our work will be a profoundly successful production."

Lost in Yonkers features a cast of talented local actors.  Lily Doyle of Audubon plays Bella, the loving, childlike aunt of the two brothers, Arty (Bryce Powell, Levittown, PA) and Jay (Joe Vaccaro, Lumberton).  The stern, unbending Grandma Kurnitz is portrayed by Celeste Bonfanti of Burlington.  Grandma Kurnitz is mother to Bella, Eddie (John Colona, Westampton), a recent widower and the boys’ father, Louie (Damian Muziani, Glassboro), a small-time criminal, and Gert (Gabrielle Affleck, Philadelphia), a timid woman with a severe speech impediment.

Lost in Yonkers is Bridge Players’ annual Dessert Theater production, featuring cabaret seating and a choice of desserts and beverages served during intermission. Also 3 p.m. on Sundays, Feb. 5 and 19. The performance on Friday, Feb. 17 will be sign-interpreted.

A dinner/theater package is also available for $45 per person, which includes a ticket for the show and dinner at the critically acclaimed Café Gallery restaurant in Burlington, N.J. Meal includes salad, choice of four entrees, non-alcoholic beverage, tax and gratuity.