The Santa Clara

Issue date: 5/8/08 Section: Scene

Media Credit: BY BOBBY MOON--THE SANTA CLARA Jeff Adams and Francesca McKenzie play teenage brothers in "Lost in Yonkers."

A unique cast, an enthusiastic director and a Tony Award-winning play by Neil Simon make this year's spring drama, "Lost in Yonkers," worth watching.

Set during World War II, "Lost in Yonkers" is a story about two teenage brothers, Jay and Arty, who face adversity while growing up in Yonkers, New York.

Their lives are devastated by the pain of their mother's death, and their indebted father sends them to live with relatives they do not know.

As in all of Simon's plays, "Lost in Yonkers" offers a sense of humor that underlies the hardships the characters experience. Gradually, the boys learn to cope with the dysfunctional relationships that their new world offers them.

Instead of replicating the show's traditional feel, director Fred Tollini, S.J., chose a unique cast. Disregarding gender conventions and racial expectations, the role of the head of the Jewish family will be played by a black student and the part of the youngest son, Arty, will be played by a female student. As Tollini puts it, he simply "chose the actors who could do the part the best."

Tollini described the play as a wonderful opportunity for students to act in one of Neil Simon's best-known plays. "It has also given me the chance of having very multicultural, diverse actors," he said.

Regardless of age, background, ethnicity, gender or religion, "It's a play for everybody," Tollini said.

If you have ever been uprooted from normalcy, if your parents are ever overbearing, if you have ever wanted to escape the restrictions of your life or if you have ever had big dreams, then "Lost in Yonkers" is the play you want to see.

"It's a play about problems you can meet in any family, problems of acceptance and forgiveness," said Tollini. "Any Santa Clara student is encouraged to attend."

The cast includes Jeff Adams, Bailey Hoffman, Natasha Ransom, Francesca McKenzie, Peter Dziuba and Meaghan Sloane.

Inside Look With Jeff Adams:

Sophomore Jeff Adams, who plays the role of Jay, discussed his experience as a member of the cast of "Lost in Yonkers":

TSC: What is the rehearsal process like?

JA: We started rehearsing right after spring break, Sunday through Friday, 7 to 11 p.m. You start out with your script in hand and try to memorize as you go along.

After that you add hats and shoes that are going to be in the show to put yourself in the body of the character. And then it finally gets up to technical rehearsals.

TSC: What is a technical rehearsal like?

JA: That's when we add all the lighting and the set is all finished. Until technical rehearsal, we don't realize how much other stuff is being put into the production.

It's not until technical rehearsal that we see how important the stage manager, the set designer and the sound, lighting and costume designers are to the process.

I don't feel one hundred percent in character until I'm in costume and I'm placed on stage in this new atmosphere.

TSC: What is your favorite part about being in the show?

JA: Because it's a small cast, it allows us to get to know each other really well.

I think that's really good for this show because it's about family. And it's a Father Fred show, and he's great. He's been here a long time and he chooses shows that have messages in them and that have a lot of heart in them.

Contact Rachel Zabalza at rzabalza@scu.edu.

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