Few names have permeated the Broadway stage scene like that of Neil Simon, whose works have been among the most produced and most popular in American theatre for nearly 40 years. “Lost in Yonkers,” one of Simon’s most critically acclaimed plays, will be the premiere production of Saint Patrick Summer Theatre, a newly formed theatre company in residence at the Saint Patrick Performing Arts Centre.

Winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Play, and the 1991 Pulitzer Prize, this funny and heart wrenching family drama chronicles the lives of two young brothers who are left to live with their austere grandmother after the death of their mother. Neil Simon combines laughter and tears into an emotional truth that implodes straight to your heart.

Kevin Long, Theatre Program Director at Saint Patrick High School is directing the production. Long feels that the play’s themes of survival and the importance of family speak to us all. Long stated, “What we find at the end of the play is that everyone needs the love of family in order to survive. The true meaning of life is about what we allow in—not what we keep out.”

The cast includes: Ryan Burk (Hoffman Estates), Jessica Honor Carleton (Glenview), Tanya Chase (Chicago), Dale Hawes (North Riverside), Joe Kozak (Chicago), Kyle Lohr (Chicago) and Linda Otto (East Dundee). The production team includes: Chet Kondratowicz, producer; Kevin Long, director; Harold K. McCay, Jr., set designer; John Sanchez, lighting designer; Lori Wilson, costume designer; Gena Long, props designer; and Karl Sullivan, technical director.

Find your way to the Saint Patrick Performing Arts Centre to see this touching drama in which two young boys, through laughter and tears, become a healing force for a family stunted by past grief.

“Lost in Yonkers” opens August 4 and runs through August 13. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 p.m., Sunday matinees start at 2:00 p.m. All shows will be performed at the Saint Patrick Performing Arts Centre, located at 5900 W. Belmont Avenue. Tickets are $10.00 for adults and $8.00 for seniors and students and can be purchased on line at http://www.stpatrick.org, or by phoning the box office at 773.286.8470.