Lost in Yonkers Premieres at Village Players Theater in Oak Park, Illinois

Exploring community theater has become a bit of a regular occurrence for me, usually because I am being dragged by friends who are theater nerds to see their favorite plays or local actors. Through a friend I was able to see a preview of Lost In Yonkers by Neil Simon being shown at the Village Player's Theater in Oak Park, Illinois, from January 16 through February 21, 2010.

I have never even heard of 'Lost In Yonkers' until I was invited to the preview of the play just a day before it was shown. I didn't know what to expect when I entered the theater as I went into the preview blind though, doing no research on the play. I prefer to go in with no expectations and get a fresh perspective on the show that other more experienced people in the audience might not get.

Lost In Yonkers follows the story of a family in the middle of crisis and hardship. Two boys, Jay and Arty, are sent to live with their Grandmother and Aunt Bella while their father travels around the country helping with the war effort in an attempt to make money to pay off a loan shark. Various family members, each with their own emotional baggage, show up and influence the lives of the whole family. Grandma is not the nice and caring person many would expect, but instead is mean and very very strict, much to the horror of the young boys. Deanna Norman brings the character to life and while most of the time the other characters are simply trying to deal with her cold and cruel ways there are moments where you can see some true caring come through the hard exterior.

Other characters of note include the boys Aunt Bella who is portrayed by Stephanie Ganacoplos, turning a great performance as her character changes from a simple 'crazy aunt' into someone the audience cares for a great deal, and it seems that the driving force behind the story is not the boys but the relationship between Aunt Bella and the Grandmother. The boys Uncle Louie is a smarmy mobster who comes across beautifully portrayed by Steven Camara as a deeply complex but secretive character. Village Player's regulars will also recognize Paul Chakrin from the production Posthumerous, here he plays the father turning in just enough emotion in his narration of periodic letters sprinkled through the play to hint at things going on in his travels, yet trying to not worry his sons along the way. Sadly lost in the shuffle amongst the rest is Aunt Gert played by Katherine Glavin who turns in a great performance but does come up short on exposure appearing in only the second act of the story and then only in a couple scenes.

Lost In Yonkers youngest talent does a good job with the material with Andrew Raia playing Jay and Jake Walczyk playing Arty. These two earn most of the laughs in the play, however as the plays continues the humor starts to become a bit sparse allowing very deep emotion to shine through. The mix is perhaps not the best as sometimes viewers don't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for the characters. There are some tense moments, and some slightly tragic lines, but the end result feels like you have just witnessed 11 months of a families life as they grow and discover the people they have taken for granted or ignored.

Village Player's Theater has a comfortable house with nice seats, the set design and prop design are well done. Tickets are fairly priced for a show over two hours long and there is a 15-minute intermission. Parking can be a problem on Madison though a parking lot around the corner on Home can alleviate larger crowds.

In the end the play is a dramedy that leans a little heavy on the drama but is rewarding just the same. The experience is well worth the price of the ticket. The play will remain showing through February 21st, 2010.