Further cementing its reputation as a theater of national quality and significance, Issaquah’s Village Theatre has a Tony Award-winner at the helm of its latest production.

Brian Yorkey, who in 2009 won a Tony for Best Original Score (music by Tom Kitt, lyrics by Brian Yorkey) for Village Theatre’s own “Next to Normal,” will direct the Neil Simon classic “Lost in Yonkers.”

Opening Thursday, Jan. 21 and running through to February 28, this highly anticipated production will be the first professionally produced version of this story to be seen in the greater Seattle area in over a decade.

Lost in Yonkers is one of the most famous and beloved plays of its time – the winner of four Tony Awards, including Best Play, and the Pulitzer Prize. Lost in Yonkers is a remarkable coming of age story in which two young brothers are forced to enter a dysfunctional household consisting of their formidable grandmother, their dim-witted aunt, and their Uncle Louie, a small-time thug.

As comical as it is poignant, this Neil Simon masterwork is an examination of lives in an oppressive household, with a dramatic climax that is certain to leave you spellbound.

“Like so many of Neil Simon’s plays, Yonkers is drawn from events in his own life,” Yorkey said. “We wanted to honor that spirit and give the play the feeling of being a childhood memory.”

With such a distinctive vision in mind, Yorkey reached out to many of the artists he worked with last year on The Seattle Times Footlight Award winning production The Importance of Being Earnest.

The unofficial scenic and lighting design team of Bill Forrester and Tom Sturge, who worked on 5th Avenue’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, unite again for Lost In Yonkers.

The 1940s world of the Neil Simon play boasts a city lined backdrop with beautifully designed furniture and a layout that will truly transport audiences to another time and place.

Lost in Yonkers will play at the Francis J. Gaudette Theatre, 303 Front Street North.

For tickets, and more information, call 425-392-2202 or visit www.villagetheatre.org

Student and Military Rush: half price tickets are available 30 minutes prior to curtain for any available seat.

Group discounts available for groups of 10 or more.