By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Neil Simon's "Lost in Yonkers" opens Friday at Beckwith Theatre with Tara Morton directing a veteran cast.
In the summer of 1942, two boys are sent to stay with their stern grandmother Kurnitz and their childlike aunt in Yonkers, N.Y.
One of the actors Morton directs is herself. Her previous Beckwith part was in Simon's "Fools" last year.
Toni Mayberry last acted in "The Cemetery Club." She directed "Rest Assured." Her Gertrude is Bella's, Eddie's and Uncle Louie's sister.
Mayberry said she cannot look the older of the brothers, Jordan Eby, in the eye "because he cracks me up. He's Josh Davis on stage."
Then again, so terrified is Gert of her mother and the severe environment, Mayberry's character doesn't look at anyone directly.
Donna Courtney (Grandma Kurnitz) performed most recently in "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged" and "Fools," but she's a link to the community troupe's origins 15 years ago.
Courtney's cane-banging Grandma bristles with bitterness and anger, even toward her son Eddie (Kirk Proshwitz) and grandsons (Jordan Eby and Tyler Hall).
Eddie just lost his wife and the boys' mother. He wants to leave his sons with his mother while cornering the market on scrap metal that can be melted down for battleships and tanks for the World War II effort.
Proshwitz last appeared in "Arsenic and Old Lace" at the Beckwith and with the Tin Shop in Buchanan.
Gary Hood, a student at Southwestern Michigan College, starred in "Rest Assured." His Uncle Louie, the gangster sibling, was portrayed by Richard Dreyfuss in the movie and acted by Kevin Spacey on stage.
Eby, a Union High sophomore, earlier this year portrayed a school serial killer in "Bang Bang You're Dead" for drama class at the Beckwith, but his last play there was "Just Like a Movie" in 2002.
Central Middle School eighth grader Tyler Hall is appearing in his third consecutive Beckwith play as Jacob's little brother, Artie.
Admission costs $10, $8 for seniors and $5 for students. Call the Beckwith at 782-ROLE for more information.
The Beckwith will be staging the musical "Forever Plaid" June 9-12.
beckwiththeatre.org