| I'm Not Rappaport | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Herb Gardner |
| Characters | Nat Midge Gilley Danforth Laurie Clara The Cowboy |
| Date premiered | 1984 |
| Place premiered | Seattle Repertory Theatre Seattle, Washington |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | A park bench in Central Park; October 1982 |
I'm Not Rappaport is a play byHerb Gardner, which originally ran onBroadway in 1985.
The play was originally staged bySeattle Repertory Theatre in 1984.[1]
The play premiered onBroadway at theBooth Theatre on November 19, 1985, and closed on January 17, 1988 after 891 performances. Directed byDaniel Sullivan, the cast starredJudd Hirsch (Nat),Cleavon Little (Midge Carter),Jace Alexander (Gilley), andMercedes Ruehl (Clara).[2]
The production receivedTony Awards for Best Play, Best Lighting Design, and Best Actor (Judd Hirsch).
Sherman Hemsley starred in the play in 1987 in Calgary.
A revival opened at the Booth Theatre on July 25, 2002, where it ran for 53 performances and 15 previews. Again directed by Sullivan, Hirsch reprised his role and was joined byBen Vereen.[3][4]
Prior to the Broadway 2002 production, the play had engagements at three regional venues: the Coconut Grove Playhouse, Miami in January 2002; Ford's Theater, Washington, DC in February 2002; and the Paper Mill Playhouse, New Jersey in February and March 2002. The play, directed by Sullivan starred Hirsch and Ben Vereen.[5]
Inspired by two elderly men Gardner met inNew York City'sCentral Park, the play focuses on Nat Moyer, a feistyJew, and Midge Carter, a cantankerousAfrican-American, who spend their days sitting on a bench. They both mask the realities of aging, sharing tall tales that Nat spins. The play touches on several issues, including society's treatment of the aging, the difficulties dealing with adult children who think they know what's best for their parents, and the dangers that lurk in urban areas.
Its title comes from an oldvaudeville joke, a variation of which evolved into dialogue between the twoprotagonists:
- Nat: Hey, Rappaport! I haven't seen you in ages. How have you been?
- Midge: I'm not Rappaport.
- Nat: Rappaport, what happened to you? You used to be a short fat guy, and now you're a tall skinny guy.
- Midge: I'm not Rappaport.
- Nat: Rappaport, you used to be a young guy with a beard, and now you're an old guy with a mustache.
- Midge: I'm not Rappaport.
- Nat: Rappaport, how has this happened? You used to be a cowardly little white guy, and now you're a big imposing black guy.
- Midge: I'm not Rappaport.
- Nat: And you changed your name, too!
The 1996 film version, written and directed by Gardner, starredWalter Matthau,Ossie Davis,Amy Irving,Craig T. Nelson,Martha Plimpton,Peter Friedman, andRon Rifkin.
In 1986 at the Apollo Theatre London, the part of Nat was played byPaul Scofield.[6]
In 2012, a theatre group in Germany had come under fire for allowing a white actor topaint his face and take the part of the black character Midge Carter on stage.[7][8][9]
In 2014, a Spanish speaking adaptation, Parque Lezama, premiered at the Teatro Liceo, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was directed by Academy Award winnerJuan José Campanella,[10] and starredEduardo Blanco (as Antonio/Midge) andLuis Brandoni (as León/Nat).[11]
Source: PlaybillVault[2]
