LOST IN YONKERS Plays Bristol Riverside Theatre, Now thru 11/30

Laughter can be found at Bristol Riverside Theatre in Neil Simon's dramedy Lost in Yonkers playing today, November 11-30. Directed by Keith Baker, the ensemble cast features Joy Franz, David Nate Goldman, Bruce Graham, Eleanor Handley, Kyle Klein II, Karen Peakes, and Danny Vaccaro.

In this coming-of-age story about Neil Simon's own family, Jay's life is turned upside down when his father leaves him and his younger brother Arty at their grandma's doorstep. An opinionated German Jewish immigrant, Grandma shares her home with her daughter Bella and son Louie, who is hiding from the mob. The coming year will leave a permanent mark on Jay and his highly dysfunctional family. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play, and as comical as it is poignant, Lost in Yonkers is the masterwork of Neil Simon's career.

Previews begin Tuesday, November 11 with opening night on Thursday, November 13. Performances run Tuesday through Sunday until November 30. Tickets start at $31, with discounts for students, groups and military personnel. Tickets are available by visiting brtstage.org or calling the BRT Box Office at 215-785-0100. Bristol Riverside Theatre is located at 120 Radcliffe Street in Bristol, PA.

Keith Baker (Director) has directed more than 40 productions for BRT including last season's Pride and Prejudice, Gypsy starring Tovah Feldshuh, Chicago (nominated for six Barrymore Awards), The Balkan Women (winner of a Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play), The Dresser (nominated for a Barrymore Award for Best Director of a Play) and Dear World (nominated for three Barrymore Awards). As an actor he starred in BRT's 2012-2013 season productions of Deathtrap and Inherit the Wind and also appeared in productions of Barrymore, A Raw Space, Old Wicked Songs, Defiance, Proof, Hamlet, A Little Night Music, Arsenic and Old Lace, and A Moon for the Misbegotten. Baker has been nominated eleven times for the prestigious Carbonell Awards, for which he was twice the recipient for Best Actor. Prior to coming to BRT, Baker was Artistic Director for the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival and the Florida Repertory Theatre.

Joy Franz (Grandma) returns to BRT where she was last seen as Desiree in A Little Night Music. On Broadway, she has appeared in the original cast and the revival of Into The Woods as well as the original Broadway productions of A Little Night Music, Pippin, Company, and Sweet Charity. Off-Broadway she has performed at Lion Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, Westside Arts and Village Gate. She has been a frequent guest at Paper Mill Playhouse, Barrington Stage and New Harmony.

David Nate Goldman (Jay) appeared in Metamorphoses at Playhouse on Park in Connecticut and in the US premiere of Moth at Washington DC's Studio Theater. He is a recent graduate from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

Bruce Graham (Eddie) was seen last season at BRT in Laughter on the 23rd Floor. Well-known as a prolific playwright whose works have been nominated for multiple Barrymore Awards, he has performed at New City Stage in Hurlyburly, Delaware Theatre Company/Act Two Playhouse's co-production of Time Stands Still and his own Any Given Monday, and Brat Productions in Haunted Poe. Other regional credits include productions at Pittsburgh Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, Theatre-By-The Grove, and Keystone Rep.

Eleanor Handley (Bella) makes her BRT debut, having starred in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Much Ado About Nothing, and Comedy of Errors at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and King Lear, The Three Musketeers, Troilus and Cressida, and Twelfth Night, all as Hudson Valley Shakespeare. She has been featured on television in Royal Pains and As The World Turns.

Kyle Klein II (Arty) comes to BRT having been featured in multiple productions at Virginia Theatre and Champaign Urbana Theatre Company. The home-schooled 14-year old will follow his BRT performance with the starring role in 13 at Anderson's Mainstage Theatre.

Karen Peakes (Gert) has performed at BRT this season in The 39th Steps and previously in Moon Over Buffalo. She has received a Barrymore Award for Best Ensemble in Equus at Mum Puppet Theatre, a Barrymore nomination for her work in Noises Off and Born Yesterday, and is currently nominated for outstanding supporting actress in a play for The Real Thing at The Wilma Theatre. She has also performed locally at Arden Theatre Company, Philadelphia Theatre Company, InterAct Theatre Company, Walnut Street Theatre, People's Light and Theatre Company, and Act II Playhouse.

Danny Vaccaro (Louie) returns to BRT where he was a hit last season in Little Shop of Horrors. He has appeared on Broadway in La Cage Aux Folles and starred in the national tour of The Diary of Anne Frank. Regional credits include several productions at Barter Theatre including leading roles in Sweeney Todd, Singin' in the Rain, and The Last Five Years, as well as productions at Goodman Theatre, Fulton Opera House and the Walnut Street Theatre.

Lost in Yonkers brings together the creative team of BRT veterans set designer Jason Simms, costume designer Linda B. Stockton, lighting designer Kate Ashton and sound designer Brad Ward.

Since 1986, BRT has brought consistently acclaimed professional theatre to Bucks County and maintains a long-term commitment to finding and developing new plays. The theatre is the recipient of over 70 Barrymore Award nominations for Excellence in Theatre, given annually by Theatre Philadelphia. In addition to its Mainstage productions, the theatre serves as a cultural hub for the community, with such programs as children's theatre, community concerts and exhibitions of local visual arts. Currently under the direction of Artistic Director Keith Baker, Founding Director Susan D. Atkinson, and Managing Director Jameson Gilpatrick, BRT continues its 28th season. For information, visit www.brtstage.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.