Panhandle Community Theatre presents: "Lost in Yonkers"
Written by Neil Simon
Directed by Gail Ready
Auditions May 26 and 28th at 6:30 p.m. Audition location: 4646 Woodbine Rd., Pace
Production dates: July 16-19, 23-26
Audition consists of a cold read from script.
Synopsis: Brooklyn, 1942, Evelyn Kurnitz has just died following a lengthy illness. Her husband, Eddie Kurnitz, needs to take a job as a traveling salesman to pay off the medical bills incurred, and decides to ask his stern and straight talking mother, from whom he is slightly estranged, if his two early-teen sons, Jay and Arty (who their Grandma calls by their full given names, Yakob and Arthur), can live with her and their Aunt Bella Kurnitz in Yonkers. She reluctantly agrees after a threat by Bella. Despite their Grandma owning and operating a candy store, Jay and Arty don't like their new living situation as they're afraid of their Grandma, and find it difficult to relate to their crazy Aunt Bella, whose slow mental state is manifested by perpetual excitability and a short attention span, which outwardly comes across as a childlike demeanor. Into their collective lives returns one of Eddie and Bella's other siblings, Louie Kurnitz, a henchman for some gangsters. He is hiding out from Hollywood Harry, who wants what Louie stole and is hiding in his small black bag. Jay and Arty's mission becomes how to make money fast so that they can help their father and move back in together, which may entail stealing the $15,000 their Grandma has hidden somewhere. Bella's mission is to find a way to tell the family that she wants to get married to Johnny, her equally slow movie theater usher boyfriend; the two could also use $5,000 of Grandma's hidden money to open their dream restaurant. And Louie's mission is to survive the next couple of days.
Seeking: (4) Males, (3) Females – All adult roles (except Jay & Arty); all ages needed
Male roles: Eddie – Jay's middle-aged father. After the death of his wife, he is forced to send his two sons to live with their grandmother, while he repays his large financial debts. He is shown to be, much like his sisters, a nervous wreck around Grandma. Louie – Jay's flamboyant, jovial uncle who comes to live with the family when he is hiding from the local mob. He is considered by Grandma Kurnitz to be the "survivor" of the family. He has a strong, mercurial nature, and a certain underlying dark side, which the kids uncover in the second act of the play. He works as a "bag-man" for the mob. Jay – Age: teenager. He is an independent, self-serving jokester, who sometimes gets carried away with the situations going on around him. The play tells his coming-of-age story. Arty – Age: teenager. Jay's younger brother. More of an observer than the rest of his family, he often goes with the flow of things, but also can be a little childish.
Female roles: Grandma Kurnitz – Jay's grandmother. A very old and stern woman. Owing to her harsh childhood, she has always been very intolerant of what in others she calls "weaknesses". She is blunt, sometimes even in a funny way, and always knows what is going on with the people around her. Gert – Jay's aunt, and Grandma's daughter. She is a very interesting addition to the family. Her most noticeable issue is that when she breathes she has a tendency to suck in while still speaking, as a result of trauma instilled in her by Grandma from a young age. Bella – Jay's aunt. She is sometimes a bit off-center and is mentally challenged, but despite this she is also loving and protective of her nephews.
Info: panhandle_community_theatre@yahoo.com
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Auditions for PCT's "Lost in Yonkers"