Neil Simon’s Tony Award and Pulitzer prize-winning comedy Lost in Yonkers is an absolute delight.
Presented by the Roxy Lane Theatre in Maylands, which provides a warm, community theatre welcome from the moment you step through the door. This is clearly a group that enjoys what it does and works hard to put on a good show.
Directed by Karin Staflund, Lost in Yonkers centres on brothers Arty (Daniel Keenan) and Jay (Toby Shepherd), who are sent to live with their grandmother (Sarah House) and Aunt Bella (Seren Healy) in the summer of 1942 while their father goes away to work off a debt he owes to a loan shark.
The prickly Grandma Kurnitz is estranged from her son Eddie (Zane Alexander) and his boys. However, she begrudgingly agrees to take Arty and Jay in at Bella’s insistence and makes it clear this will be no holiday as they’re forced to work in her shop downstairs.
Throw in an uncle who is a local gangster (Geoff Miethe) and Aunt Gert (Julia Webster), who is so frightened of her mother that she struggles to breathe; you can tell it’s going to be a long summer for Arty and Jay.
The cast’s youngest member, Daniel Keenan, steals the show as Arty. With an extensive number of lines to remember and maturity beyond his years, he brings the right amount of humour and warmth to his role. Seren Healy’s portrayal of childlike Bella is both hilarious and heartbreaking as a young woman stuck between her learning difficulties and wanting a life and family of her own.
The cast’s accents were fabulous, and the clever use of the time between scene changes with train sound effects and lighting, while you could already hear the hum of the local train in the background, added to the experience.
The set was well done and made great use of the space given. At times, a sofa bed was front and centre. There were also a number of costume changes for each character, all of which suited the characters to a tee.
With nine performances to go, and if opening night is anything to go by, this is one local production you don’t want to miss.
August 17, 18*, 23, 24, 25*, 29, 30 and 31, September 1
Evening shows at 7.30 pm
*Sunday matinees at 2 pm
Bookings at https://www.TAZtix.com.au/roxylanetheatre/ or phone TAZ Tix 9255 3336.
This review also appears on It’s On The House. Check out more reviews at Whats The Show to see what else is on in your town.
