Directed by Michael Sally

LOST IN YONKERS is Neil Simon's touching story--and Pulitzer Prize-winning play--of an eccentric New York family in crisis in the summer of 1942. On the run from a loan shark, a frightened and weak-willed father leaves his two teenage boys, Jay and Arty, with their domineering grandmother, who runs a candy store in Yonkers.

The effect of the old woman's tyranny over two generations of offspring becomes evident as she coldheartedly attempts to control not only their lives but also that of her mentally challenged middle-aged daughter, Bella, who desperately yearns for love and independence.

The boys are forced to live by their stern grandmother's rules until their gangster uncle, Louie, comes to town one night and goes into hiding in the family home. Uncle Louie ends up helping both the boys and Bella understand their aging grandmother and realize the importance of acceptance and love, despite the hardship of life in Yonkers.

Lost in Yonkers is a play rich with humor and sensitivity. Although it is set during WWII, Simon published Lost in Yonkers as America was entering the Gulf War in the Middle East, circa 1991. With history repeating itself, the main themes -- including survival, the importance of one's family and acceptance -- still seem timely. The play is technically a comedy -- the darker material is handled with Simon's light, just-funny-enough touch, allowing the audience to laugh their way through moments that otherwise would be uneasy.

Lost in Yonkers has enjoyed far-reaching critical and popular success, winning Simon his first Pulitzer Prize. Many critics consider it to be his best work and the pinnacle of his career.

When the play 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 produced in dozens of languages, Mr. Simon is arguably the world's most successful playwright. Through over 30 Broadway productions, Simon has presented situations as compelling as they are hilarious and characters as human as they are heroic. Whether a Mississippi boot camp in Biloxi Blues or an Upper Westside apartment in The Odd Couple, Simon's gift is his ability to invite audiences into the most intimate of settings while making them feel right at home.

*Lost in Yonkers contains some mature language and situations