Belly-laughs, tears promised by director of 'Lost in Yonkers,' which opens Wednesday at UCM
Feb 12, 2010, 11:43 AM
By KISHA HENRY
WARRENSBURG, Mo.-- “You’ll be belly-laughing and then grabbing for some Kleenex,” says John Wilson, acting chair of the theatre department and director of UCM's production of Neil Simon’s “Lost in Yonkers.”
“It’s Neil Simon at his best,” says Wilson of the production. “It is a wonderful combination of great character-driven humor and relationship-based sentimentality.”
“Lost in Yonkers” will be performed Feb. 17-20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Highlander Theatre, and a matinee performance will be given Feb. 21 at 2 p.m.
“I would call this a ‘coming-of-age’ story for every character involved,” says Wilson. “In need of money, the character Eddie leaves his two sons with their grandmother for a period of 10 months, while he searches for work in the South.
"The story evolves around these two teenage boys who are forced to spend time with their harsh and domineering German Grandmother Kurnitz. Throughout the story, the boys really mature, the grandma’s hard-heart softens and the other characters go through significant changes, as well.”
Rebecca Casselman, a first-year theatre graduate student, plays one of seven characters in the production. “I auditioned for ‘Lost in Yonkers’ because I adore the story,” says Casselman. “It is about a New York family and life struggles that can either ruin you or make you stronger. For me, this play is about making family a priority and not being afraid to show affection to those you love. It touches the heart and I feel blessed to be a part of it.”
Casselman plays the part of Gert, daughter to Grandma Kurnitz, and aunt to the teenage boys. “Aunt Gert has a breathing disability, due to a paralyzing fear of her mother,” says Casselman. “Although it is a serious handicap, it plays as a comic-relief in the dramatic atmosphere of the play.”
Casselman, who has been acting since 2000, tells of her rehearsing techniques. “[Because I have] a smaller role, rehearsals have been minimal and focused for me. I have concentrated on different line readings and changing inflection because of Gert's breathing problem. I’ve made a lot of fun discoveries.”
Wilson emphasizes the effort put into this production. “There are only seven characters in this play and, in my opinion, every character is very difficult to play. It requires the utmost truth and honesty to play the actions of these characters. I feel so blessed to have been able to develop this top-notch cast. This is truly some of the best acting I have seen in some time.”
Jayme Overstreet, a senior theatre major who is cast as Grandma Kurnitz, tells of her experiences thus far in the production: “It has been a lot of fun for me. It's been very rewarding to work with people who are so nice and fun. I love my fellow cast members; they are all great people, and the crew members have been working so hard and have been so kind. It’s just fun to be around people like that.”
How does Overstreet feel about playing the tough, hard-hearted grandmother? “[This is an] amazing character,” says Overstreet. “Grandma is a German Jew that moved to the United States with her family approximately 35 years prior to the beginning of WWII. The trauma that she has experienced in her life, such as her father being beaten to death in front of her as a child and the death of two of her children, has led to her closing herself off [emotionally] from the world. She believes that the only way to survive in the world is through shear strength. Grandma is not easy to love, she makes you work for it, but when you truly understand where she is coming from, your heart aches for her.”
Wilson explains why this production was chosen. “As a department, we try to have very eclectic seasons, and we try to think about the season-ticket holders and what will be challenging to the student body. It’s also very important for us to choose excellent literature, and this piece did a lot of things for us. Neil Simon is one of America’s most famous playwrights. ‘Lost in Yonkers’ won him the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and was then made into a movie in the mid-'90s. This is just true and tested literature.”
Although Wilson is happy with the production, there have been some obstacles. “We lost almost an entire week to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (a series of competitions for theatre students, nationwide). That’s a week of not building sets and rehearsing. It forces everyone to work that much harder to make up for lost time. It’s all going very successfully, but losing that time just always hurts a little and makes us work harder than we expected.”
Whether you are a big fan of the theatre, or have never seen a play in your life, Wilson has a reason for everyone to make their way to a seat at Highlander Theatre. “Going to the theatre, in general, always brings you face-to-face with a transparency and honesty in human relationships that we sometimes find ourselves avoiding in real life. I encourage everyone to come, just to remind themselves of what true communication, true heart-felt relationships look like.”
“Lost in Yonkers” tickets can be purchased at the Theatre Department box office, outside of the Highlander Theatre. Students receive a discount at $7 per ticket. Faculty and staff tickets are $10 and general admission is $12.
