Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers

When: Saturday, March 3, 2007, 8 p.m.

Where: LSU Union Theater, Raphael Semmes Rd., Baton Rouge

Cost: $10 - $25

Age limit: All ages

Categories: Theater

Description: Neil Simon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Lost in Yonkers is coming to the LSU Union Theater on Saturday, March 3 at 8 p.m. It is the third show of the LSU Union Great Performances Theater Series.

When Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1991, it marked a milestone in a career of milestones. With work spanning half a century, highlighted by more Academy Award and Tony nominations than any other writer, and translations of his plays in dozens of languages, Mr. Simon is arguably the world’s most successful playwright.

Set above a candy store in 1940s New York, Lost in Yonkers is the story of two young brothers who come to live with their strict German grandmother during World War II. While awaiting the return of their father, the boys wrestle to contain their fiery wit as a host of eccentric relatives enter their lives. An overbearing grandmother, a childlike aunt, a mobster uncle—the boys find themselves nose to nose with a family as sweet and as brittle as the candy they peddle downstairs.

Lost in Yonkers is Simon at his best, riding the line between comedy and drama. It is a play about family. What holds them together? What pulls them apart? These questions, in Simon’s deft hands, become the center of a highly entertaining and moving evening of theatre.

Montana Repertory Theater presents Lost in Yonkers as part of their continued mission of bringing to life the great stories of America—stories that explore the core of a nation’s experience and help to uncover the heart of the American character. Established in 1977, Montana Rep has become one of the most respected professional touring companies in the country today. Recent productions include It’s a Wonderful Life, The Miracle Worker, A Streetcar Named Desire, Steel Magnolias, and last year’s national tour of The Trip to Bountiful.

Lost in Yonkers is directed by Kara-Lynn Vaeni. Ms. Vaeni is a recipient of both the Kaufmann Prize in Directing and a Presidential Public Service Fellowship. She has served as the artistic director of the Yale Summer Cabaret and resident assistant director at the Eugene O’Neill Summer Playwrights Conference. Ms. Vaeni is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.

Tickets are on sale now and range from $25-$35 for the public; $20-$30 for LSU faculty, staff and Union members; and $10-$15 for students.

Tickets may be purchased through the LSU Union Box Office, www.uniontheater.lsu.edu, or by calling (225) 578-5128. Box office hours are 10am—5pm Monday—Friday. Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Tiger Cash are accepted. For more information, e-mail unionbox@lsu.edu, call the LSU Union Program Department at (225) 578-5118, or visit www.lsu.edu/union, www.lsu.edu/upc or www.uniontheater.lsu.edu.

Pre-theater buffet reservations can be made for the Magnolia Room Restaurant by calling (225) 578-6656.

Montana Rep is funded in part by a grant from the Montana Arts Council (an agency of state government) and the National Endowment for the Arts, with support from the Montana State Legislature, The University of Montana, and the Montana Cultural Trust.

The national award-winning LSU Union Great Performances Theater Series is one of the longest-running variety performing arts series in Baton Rouge. It is sponsored by the LSU Union Program Council Lively Arts Committee. Union Program Council is a member of the Campus-Community Coalition for Change.