Neil Simons jaunty 1991 Pulitzer-winning dramedy about two teenagers consigned to the not-so-tender mercies of their tyrannical granny in Yonkers, N.Y., during WWII receives expert treatment in director Brian Yorkeys confident hands. To an actor, the cast is terrificespecially Jen Taylor as Aunt Bella, spastic, childlike, who finds endless nuanced pathos in what could be a clowny character, and Suzy Hunt as the emotionally sclerotic Grandma Kurnitz. With such rhythm-rich dialogue, timing is everything, and this team nails it. Although it would be a tighter piece with a 15-20 percent haircut (there are a few slow, lumpy stretches), excess time spent watching the artfully stuffy single set lets us share the boys experience of captivity. If they can survive it, we can too, but we get many more laughs. MARGARET FRIEDMAN
Tuesdays-Sundays. Starts: Jan. 20. Continues through Feb. 28, 2010
