It seems it would be hard enough doing a Neil Simon production in general. But doing a Simon production without ever changing scenic design seems even more difficult.

But that is what Christian Moe and the cast of Lost In Yonkers have accomplished in the second production of the Summer Playhouse Series at McLeod Theater.

Though confined to one small apartment with only one room used for visual activity, the production tells the story of Artie and Jay, two brothers who try to deal with the loss of their mother. When their father has to move away in order to work, the two move in with their stern, old German grandmother who swings a wicked cane. Though the two are not so eager to become roomies with her, they understand her reasons for being hard on them by the end of the play.

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It does not seem possible that the parts of the play could have been cast any better. Jay, played by J. Shane Phillips, and his brother, Artie, played by Jackson Foote, take Simon’s witty dialogue and create a relationship onstage that mirrors real-life relationships between brothers.

Jay, the older brother, is more aware of what is going on around him. Phillips effectively plays the ornery joking kid who realizes he has a lot of growing up to do in the next year while his father is gone.

Even though the brothers’ lose of innocence is played adorably, the standout performances come from the parts of Bella, played by Julie Way, and Grandma Kurnitz, played by Ellen Dillon. Bella is the grandmother’s daughter and the brothers’ aunt. Since childhood, Bella has been an emotional and mental wreck who cannot remember a thing from minute to minute. Through crying, shaking and running around like a mad woman, Way gives an extraordinary performance playing the part as the troubled young woman who just wants to break free from her mother’s oppressive control.

Grandma Kurnitz is the old, stoic, gray-haired grump who walks with a limp because a horse fell on her leg in her youth. She has lived a hard life, spending her time on earth trying to prepare her children for the worse, but failing to show them any love in the process. Through her German accent, limp and harsh bashing about with her cane, Dillon plays the part so covincingly one would never guess she is much younger than the character she portrays.

The other smaller roles are just as important as they add the specifics to the main characters. Uncle Louie, the boys’ father Eddie, and Aunt Gert revolve around the other characters, giving insight to the kind of home Artie, Jay and Bella grew up in, and the kind of environment the grandmother kept.

But it is the cozy, comfortable atmosphere of the apartment that adds the contrast to the play. The homey lived-in look of the apartment with its quilts, a comfy recliner and old wooden doors stands out sharply against the disfunctional family which houses it.

Though the dialogue is slow at times, the action and movement that occurs away from the actors speaking keeps the play going at a steady pace.

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Lost In Yonkers wil run July 14, 15, 21, and 22 at 8 p.m., and July 16, and 23 at 2p.m. in McLeod Theater.