 "Photo:")
The Union Theater hosted Neil Simon's Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Lost in Yonkers" on Saturday night as part of the Union Program Council's Great Performances Theater Series. The Great Performances Theater Series, which is in its 43rd season, was developed to bring national touring productions to the University. The play is about two brothers forced to live with their hard-as-steel grandmother of German descent during World War II after their father is forced to travel the country looking for work. This drama shows their struggle of trying to survive in a dysfunctional family while just trying to be boys. "Lost In Yonkers" was performed by the Montana Repertory Theatre, an equity company based at the University of Montana in Missoula. The touring company was started in 1967 to provide professional theater productions at an affordable cost, according to the company's Web site. Rhonda Rogers, assistant program director for the Union, said the UPC surveys the audience each year in order to bring in shows the audience will enjoy but has to balance the timing and availability of each show. "We only want to book shows when students are on campus," Rogers said. "A lot of shows we hope that we can get don't come in our area. It's very tricky." Rogers said Neil Simon is arguably the most successful playwright, and some consider "Lost In Yonkers" to be Simon's best work. Perry Poussard, UPC's Lively Arts chair, said "Lost in Yonkers" fit in well to this year's season, which included "100 Years of Broadway" and "Hairspray." "Every season we try to get a good diversity, good mix of different types of shows and 'Lost in Yonkers' mixed well with all of the others selections for this academic year," Poussard said. Poussard said even with all the other activities on campus, including the men's basketball final home game and two other plays, the theater was at 50 percent capacity. "I do wish we didn't have so many things going on this weekend that caused our audience to be so small, but I think the group that's here is loving it, and I wish more people could have enjoyed it this weekend," Poussard said. "I loved it. I see exactly all the reviews about Neil Simon in general really coming to life in the show. I think it's a very great show, and the reviews are very true to what he did as an author." Brother and sister Ryan and Christy Hedlund are season ticket holders and said they both enjoyed the performance. "I came in not having any idea what this was about, I didn't know the back story at all," Ryan Hedlund said. "I thought the actors did a great job." "It was pretty intense," Christy Hedlund said. "It was very emotional, very serious stuff. It was really good." Rogers said this was the first time she has seen the Montana Repertory perform, and she felt they lived up to their good reputation. "I thought the audience really responded well, people laughed at all the right places," Rogers said. "I heard good talk from people at intermission." The final performance of this academic year's season is the Grammy-award winning Soweto Gospel Choir on April 21.
----- Contact Nathan Trifone at ntrifone@lsureveille.com
Be the first to comment on this article!