Koki Mitani x Neil Simon "Lost in Yonkers"

This time, I heard that Koki Mitani directed his first play, Lost in Yonkers, written by Neil Simon, a play he greatly admires.

I saw the play at KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre!

Photo on the right: Photographer: Oji Taro

The story is set in Yonkers, New York during World War II in 1942. The cast includes German immigrants who are struggling with painful events from their past.

Mrs. Kurnitz (Kusabue Mitsuko) is a mother who has stopped smiling due to her illness. Her second daughter Bella (Nakatani Miki) wants to find happiness as a woman. Her beloved son

The eldest son, Eddie (Kobayashi Takashi), leaves his two children in their mother's care while working away from home to pay off his debts, while Louis (Matsuoka Masahiro) returns home to hide from local gangs.

Gert (Nagano Satomi), who begins to hyperventilate while talking, and Jay, the two boys who are waiting for their father Eddie to return home from their grandmother Mrs. Kurnitz's home.

and Artie (Yosuke Asari and Jinji Irie). The story unfolds through the eyes of Eddie's two sons.

Photo: Ojita

Jay and Artie are very modern (1940s?) kids, caring for their father and often making mistakes by reading the situation too much. The strict grandmother and the high-spirited Aunt Bella (Bella's charming charm was also enhanced by the dresses of the era that changed from scene to scene), Uncle Louis who seems a bit dangerous and is being chased by gangsters (he overlaps with the older brother impression we see on TV, and he exudes an aura that teenage boys look up to as an adult different from their father), and the exchanges between Jay, Artie, and their grandmother, who rely on letters from their father who is working away from home, had a pleasant rhythm and were light-hearted. In the second act, the eldest daughter Gert appears! She is concerned about Bella, despite her own circumstances. Bella confesses her earnest desire to be loved as a woman and confronts her mother head-on. The grandmother, who has a painful past and cannot be honest. The boys close the distance between the family, who care for each other but are unable to express their affection well... Not only was Mitani's direction wonderful, but the actors' presence was also wonderful.

 
The interplay and changes in each actor's performance were very pleasant, and the world of Neil Simon, which Mitani loves so much, felt like a new work by Mitani.
This "family story" about the clumsy yet determined lives is a world that anyone can empathize with. Highly recommended!