Lost in Yonkers | Simon's Use of Humor in his Play

In the following essay, Poquette discusses Simon's use of humor in his play.

Simon started his career writing comedies, first for radio shows, then for television shows, and ultimately for his plays. As David Richards notes in his review of Lost in Yonkers for the New York Times Magazine, during the 1980s, pain ‘‘slowly crept into the comic world of Neil Simon.’’ This is definitely the case with Lost in Yonkers, which takes its characters to painful emotional depths. In fact, as Richards notes, Simon was originally afraid that "audiences might not find it funny enough.'' However, as many critics note, Simon strikes an effective...

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