Lost In Yonkers

Lost in Yonkers is set in Yonkers, New York, in 1942. The play opens on an evening in August, when two brothers named Jay and Arty Kurnitz sit in their grandmother’s apartment above the family candy shop, confessing their fear of her to each other. They complain about the heat and recollect that their grandmother carries a cane to help with her limp. Jay remembers drawing an insulting picture of her when he was younger. Grandma is notoriously cold and harsh, the boys suggest.

The boys’ father, Eddie, has cared for them since the death of their mother, who believed everyone on their father’s side of the family is flawed in some way. Grandma beat their aunt Bella so badly that she developed an intellectual disability. Eddie exits the bedroom, where he has been talking with Grandma, several times to deliver instructions to his sons. He seems as nervous around Grandma as everyone else. Jay and Arty talk about Aunt Gert, whose difficulty breathing Jay mocks, to Arty’s delight. Grandma does not tolerate children crying. In contrast, their Uncle Louie has a reputation as a criminal rumored to work for gangsters.

Arty spots Bella on the street. She seems lost, so Arty calls out to her. Eddie overhears his son and criticizes him for yelling. He orders them not to accept any ice creams sodas from Bella and to tell her to rub Grandma’s back. Bella enters the apartment. She is polite and pleasant, asking the boys their ages and telling them she is 35. She admits to getting lost and winding up at the wrong movie theater, where she watched the wrong movie. She offers to take the boys to a movie, though they claim that they already have plans to see the Yankees game. When Bella offers the boys ice cream sodas from the Kurnitzes’ candy store downstairs, they refuse.

Bella asks the boys about their mother, and they remind her their mother is dead. Bella recalls that their mother and Grandma were not on friendly terms. Few people are on friendly terms with Grandma, she admits. She begins to ramble about big families and her siblings (two of whom, Rose and Aaron, died young). She repeats her offer of ice cream soda. When the boys decline again, she accuses them of hurting her feelings and storms off.

The sound of Bella slamming the door draws Eddie back into the room. The boys ask whether they may leave. He tells them not to rush him, reminding them that they have not even spoken to Grandma yet. He tries to speak to Bella, who does not respond, and returns to the bedroom. Once Eddie is gone, Bella reappears with oil and a towel. The boys remember to tell her that Grandma may need a back rub. Bella speaks about her homemade dress, which Grandma hates. She promises to cook dinner for Arty and Jay and takes the oil and towel into the bedroom.

Eddie reappears. He needs to talk to his sons about something but breaks down in tears. He confesses that he hid their mother’s cancer from them to save them from worrying. He spent so much on the hospital, trying to make her final days comfortable, that he ran out of money and borrowed $9,000 from a loan shark against his own rules. He needs to repay the man but has no money. He credits the United States for taking in immigrants. World War II, he says, has created new employment opportunities. He plans to make money by traveling to sell scrap iron, estimating that he will be able to repay his debts in less than 12 months. However, he will need to leave the boys in Yonkers while he is away, so he is looking for somewhere for them to stay.

Eddie has given up their apartment because he can no longer afford the rent. The brothers realize with horror that their father intends for them to stay with Grandma while he is away. They plead with him, but he insists that this is for the best. Though Grandma has not agreed to let the boys stay with her, Eddie says, she is considering it. As a result, they must behave. He returns to the bedroom to talk to Grandma again, and Jay and Arty fret about what lies ahead. Arty tries to think up ways to talk their father out of his plan, suggesting they break something so she refuses to have them in her home. Jay is more cautious, suggesting they do what their father thinks is best to “save Pop’s life” (26). They argue, and Jay tears the collar of Arty’s shirt. Concerned about getting in trouble, they search for a pin, and Arty catches Jay’s finger in a drawer by accident. Jay cries out, drawing their father from the bedroom. He tells the boys off for making a mess. Eddie suggests the boys wait outside, worrying them. They promise they will be happy to live in Grandma’s house and to behave themselves. They claim to be worried Grandma will turn them away.

Bella exits the bedroom and collapses on the couch in a flood of tears, interrupting the conversation. She tells Eddie their mother was mean, but he cheers her up with the news that Jay and Arty may be coming to stay. This pleases Bella, who warns Eddie about Grandma’s capacity for meanness. Eddie assures her that everything will be fine and suggests she lie down, allowing the boys to talk to Grandma. Bella opts to stay.