Lost In Yonkers

Lost in Yonkers is a play by American playwright Neil Simon that premiered in 1991. It centers around Jay Kurnitz, a teenage boy sent with his younger brother, Arty, to live with his grandmother in Yonkers. Many critics consider the play, which debuted to overwhelming critical acclaim, one of Simon’s best works. It explores themes of abbreviated childhood, war, and generational trauma. Lost in Yonkers won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama upon its release, and its Broadway debut nearly swept the Tony Awards, including winning Best Play. It has been staged around the US many times since its original 780-performance Broadway run. In 1993, it was adapted into a feature film directed by Martha Coolidge, which cast several members of the Broadway cast.

This guide uses the 1991 Random House edition of the script.

Content Warning: The source material and this guide contain discussions of child abuse, child death, physical abuse, sexual abuse, trauma, antisemitism, and intellectual disability.

Plot Summary

Lost in Yonkers begins in 1942, with teenage brothers Jay and Arty Kurnitz waiting in their grandmother’s living room while in another room, their father, Eddie, asks her to take the boys in. Grandma lives in an apartment above the family candy shop with her younger daughter, Bella, who has an intellectual disability. Jay thinks the entire Kurnitz side of the family has been traumatized due to Grandma’s strict parenting. Later, Eddie explains his reasons for leaving the boys with Grandma: While their recently deceased mother was dying of cancer, Eddie borrowed money from a loan shark for her care. To pay off this loan, he has decided to work collecting scrap iron for the war effort, which means he will be gone for a year. While Grandma objects to the plan, Bella agrees.

Several weeks later, Jay and Arty read a letter from their father. The boys notice a black Studebaker car waiting outside and suspect its occupants are looking for their uncle, Louie. Bella enters, and Grandma chastises her for staying out so late. Bella tells Jay and Arty she has met an usher named Johnny at the movie theater and that she hopes to marry him. She lets slip that Grandma has hidden $15,000 somewhere in the candy store. Thinking that if they can find the money, they can send it to their father, the boys rummage around for the money in all the corners and crannies of the store. In the dark, they are startled by their Uncle Louie, who warns them to be careful when trying to steal from Grandma, confessing that she always caught him. The boys tell Louie about the Studebaker, adding that they have seen two men around the house. Louie tells the boys he will pay them $5 per week to tell the men they have not seen him. He adds that he will be staying around the house for a while.

Act II opens with Arty sick in bed. Grandma forces him to drink a bowl of mustard soup, saying he cannot earn his keep if he is sick. Grandma makes the boys work in the candy shop to pay for their expenses. Louie tells the boys that Grandma is strict to prepare them to fend for themselves in the real world. He says he plans to leave that night. Bella enters and tells the boys that she plans to tell the family that she wants to get married. When Louie returns, the boys ask to leave with him, but he refuses when he finds out they think he is a gangster.

That night, Bella gathers the family but struggles to tell them the news about her engagement. Jay helps her, but the family is not supportive. Louie mocks the couple, and Grandma tells Bella to stop talking about Johnny. Bella breaks down, yelling that her children would be happy and healthy, unlike Grandma’s. Grandma storms out, leaving Bella in tears.

Aunt Gert helps take care of Grandma after Bella disappears for a few days. When Bella returns, Grandma tells her that she does not think Bella can handle the psychological and physical demands of a relationship. Bella confesses that she has had sexual relationships with men since she was a teenager, searching for the affection she never got from her family. She agrees not to run off with Johnny but makes it clear that she still wants a marriage and a family someday.

Nine months later, Jay and Arty’s father returns to take them home. The boys learn that Louie has joined the military to escape the mob. Grandma admits that she considered sending Eddie the money he owed but decided he needed to sort things out for himself. Jay and Arty thank their grandmother for teaching them to be strong. The play ends with Bella making Grandma dinner. She confides that she has made a new friend whom she would like to invite over for dinner.