Interview with Dennis Delamar, director for Lost in Yonkers
TC: Pitch this show to a first-time theatre patron in one sentence
DD: You’ll love Arty and Jay, two of Neil Simon’s most endearing and funny characters, teenage brothers who find themselves forced to live with their strict “old country” Jewish grandmother for eleven months in Yonkers, New York in 1942 in the apartment above her ice cream store.
TC: Welcome back! What shows have you been involved in at Theatre Charlotte recently?
DD: As an actor, my last work at Theatre Charlotte was portraying Monsieur Bouc, Hercule Poirot's friend and accomplice in solving the crime in MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. As a director, I am responsible for bringing Ray Kennedy's new North Carolina play starring three generations of strong Southern women, THE THURSDAY NIGHT BRIDGE CIRCLE.
TC: What made you say yes to directing this show?
DD: Neil Simon is one of my favorite comedy playwrights, and I have loved his multiple Tony winning best play LOST IN YONKERS since I saw it on Broadway starring Mercedes Ruehl and Irene Worth in the 1991-1992 season. It also won the Pulitzer Prize that year, a first for him in his illustrious career. A memory play set during World War II? With lots of laughs and explosive emotional family drama? A Pulitzer? A Best Play Tony? Right up my creative ally!
TC: Without giving anything away, what's one moment you can't wait for audiences to experience?
DD: When the audience sees the terrified boys interact with their "spine of steel" grandmother. Pure gold!
TC: What do you think will surprise audiences most?
DD: The journey the audience takes, a mixture of great laughter, but also memorable gut-wrenching emotional family drama.
TC: Why do you think this is the right story for audiences today?
DD: Themes visited in this story, family dynamics including respect, love and acceptance are always relevant. The generational divide being bridged, through laughter and painful revelations, in my opinion is a satisfying story to experience in the theatre.
TC: Anything else you want to share with us?
DD: I can't wait to introduce Charlotte audiences to every single one of these well written and interesting characters. Three generations in the same story. Maybe, Bella, the most. With her big innocent heart and loving peacemaking energy.
TC: Other than this one, what show are you most looking forward to in Season 99?
DD: Come From Away that premieres here on the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Looking forward to the uplift, the way it makes us feel, and the joy in humanity that still exists in our world.