Royal sets next production

With only a few days to go before the Royal Theatre hosts its first production since the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney’s “Frozen Jr.,” the historic group is already looking to the future with the August production of Neil Simon’s “Lost In Yonkers.”

The production will be directed by Jeremy Clay with Carson Clay serving as assistant director. Michelle Griffis will oversee stage management and the show will be produced by Daphne Shoppach and Carrie Clay.

The Saline Heart Group is the sponsor for the production.

Written by one of America’s great playwrights, Simon’s play takes place in Yonkers in 1942 and centers on two brothers, Arty and Jay, as they navigate the unfamiliar territory they find themselves in unexpectedly. Bella, a 35-year-old mentally challenged woman, lives with her mother and grandmother. When ne’er-do-well son Eddie drops off the boys on the doorstep of the ladies’ home, he announces he is financial need and taking to the road as a salesman. The boys are left to deal with grandma, Bella and her secret romance, and with Louie, Bella’s brother, who is a small-time hoodlum.

The cast includes:

• Hayden Griffis as Jay Kurnitz

• Braden Lisowe as Arty Kurnitz

• Tony Clay as Eddie Kurnitz

• Summer Robinson as Bella Kurnitz

• Jamie Partain as Grandma Kurnitz

• Drew Ellis as Louie Kurnitz

• Hillary Bell as Gert Kurnitz The production dates will be announced soon.

Tickets for the Young Player’s production Disney’s “Frozen Jr.” are still available. The production is scheduled for July 15 though 18 at the historic Royal Theatre, located at 111 S. Market St., in Downtown Benton. Support for the Royal Players is provided, in part, by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism, and the National Endowment of the Arts.

For additional information on the production and tickets, call 501-315-LIVE.