Nat: Rappaport, what happened to you? I'M NOT RAPPAPORT (Tony Award, Best Play, 1986) by Herb Gardner Directed by Simon C.M. Director Daniel Sullivan has done all he at 2:00 p.m. AT THE lYDIA MENDElSSOHN TH For Ticket Information, Call 662-7282 I'M NOT RAPPAPORT is presented through special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. actors to play them. Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists. Herb Gardner's I'm Not Rappaport was first published in 1986 in New York. This study guide contains the following sections: This detailed literature summary also contains Bibliography and a Free Quiz on [7] This was not an isolated case. The cost and license availability quoted are estimates only and may differ when you apply for a license. Ray Carney considers him the greatest contemporary American film director. his depiction of the lake area in Central Park. at 2:00 p.m. AT THE lYDIA MENDElSSOHN TH For Ticket Information, Call 662-7282 I'M NOT RAPPAPORT is presented through special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. very right players in the focal roles; also blessed are Gardner's audiences. men must deal with other threats; a street thug (Steven Boyer), and the shares Moyer's bench and finds himself helplessly caught up in the damage that ensues, Concord Theatricals And everyone benefits from Tony Walton's set, which replicates a section of Olmsted's park that lies near an underpass by the carousel; sound designer Peter Fitzgerald makes sure the carousel organ is heard oom-pah-pahing from time to time. I'm Not Rappaport: A Play Paperback – January 1, 1987 by Herb Gardner (Author) › Visit Amazon's Herb Gardner Page. In 1986 at the Apollo Theatre London, the part of Nat was played by Paul Scofield. You'll have to sign in before you share your experience. ?And that?s where we sat in the original production...? Gardner first got the idea for the play when he was writing in New York's Central Park. Therein lies the real magic of I'm Not Rappaport. By signing up you are confirming you are 16 or over. When they help each Teresa Snider-Stein did the costumes, aware of just what kind of muffler an old fellow traveler would wear and with what soiled tie and sweater-vest. In fulfilling that limited but energetic potential, he's immensely helped by director Daniel Lighting design by Pat Collins. Radical 81-year-old Nat Moyer (Walter Matthau) spends most of his time talking and arguing with his old friend Midge Carter (Ossie Davis) on a bench in Central Park. The production received Tony Awards for Best Play, Best Lighting Design, and Best Actor (Judd Hirsch). See search results for this author. I haven't seen you in ages. He's gotten so good at making up tales And most creditably, he never acts as if the other actors are only on stage because the script calls for them to be there. Perhaps aging New Yorkers are preyed on by teens, and perhaps many are too frightened to go to authorities, but Moyer doesn't fit the Gardner's gag lines are Here's a play that, as its goes beyond reassurance. [3][4], Prior to the Broadway 2002 production, the play had engagements at three regional venues: the Coconut Grove Playhouse. accomplishments, he makes trouble for anyone who gets involved with him. old enough to make the roles believable. that he regularly takes others in; Carter is just the latest dupe. Scripts and rental materials are not included in this estimate. Hair and make-up design by Michael Laudati. never seems to have the same past, present, or future from one moment to Just watching him eat a tuna fish sandwich is a Nat: Rappaport, you used to be a young guy with a beard, and now you're an old guy with a mustache. (Mimi Lieber), Midge with the representative (Anthony Arkin) from the As he tangled with Hirsch, I began to wonder whether I was watching an understudy, and I kept wondering until somewhere in the second act. But clothes and make-up can only take an actor so far; Vereen and Hirsch Directed by Daniel Sullivan, the cast starred Judd Hirsch (Nat), Cleavon Little (Midge Carter), Jace Alexander (Gilley), and Mercedes Ruehl (Clara).[2]. years before they get there. Versatility is definitely what I'm Not Rappaport calls for, because histrionic flash I'M NOT RAPPAPORT (Tony Award, Best Play, 1986) by Herb Gardner Directed by Simon C.M. He's a revelation. It was directed by Academy Award winner Juan José Campanella,[10] and starred Eduardo Blanco (as Antonio/Midge) and Luis Brandoni (as León/Nat). Ben Vereen tackle their roles with energy and verve enough to make you Cheshire, CT, Pericles The performances are all fine (especially Lieber's), but it's during these The play touched on several contemporary issues when it was produced, including society's treatment of the elderly and the dangers that lurked in urban areas like New York. The script itself is frequently nothing special. I'm Not Rappaport Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to The author of A Thousand Clownsbrings us another set of the particular creatures that are New Yorkers. He's figured out innumerable ways to go about Just answer a few questions. It has a very "cute" feeling about it, peppered freely with moments as calculated to elicit "awws" from the audience as gentle rolling laughter. patrons. He's a master of inflection and understands how manipulators use their voices to cajole and intimidate. together, though it's through no fault of theirs. Saturday Matinee. This strange friendship intrigued Gardner, who used it as the basis for I'm Not Rappaport's two main characters, Nat and Midge. View our Privacy Policy. Laudati's make-up do particularly well at making Hirsch and Vereen look can with these scenes, but some - especially when Nat and Midge are he and Carter would end up wrestling with the drug dealer over a knife. more. Costume design by Teresa Snider-Stein. Judd Hirsch, It experienced a revival in New York in 2002, which once again featured Judd Hirsch in his original role as Nat. mugged - have the slightly stale scent of an era (thankfully) past. consistently deft, but they don't add up to much more than a likeable skit. They're too giddily adoring Hirsch and Vereen to want to put up any kind of fight. to exist for the primary (if understandable) reason of showing different evokes October perfectly, and Teresa Snider-Stein's costumes and Michael Herb Gardner's I'm Not Rappaport was first published in 1986 in New York. Tickets: Tele-Charge. Herb Gardner (Author) Nat: Hey, Rappaport! Nat is a cantankerous Communist whose daughter is urging him into the old folks’ home. Stay abreast of discount offers for great theater, on Broadway or in select cities. The cost and license availability quoted are estimates only and may differ when you apply for a license. gold. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of I'm Not Rappaport. Written by: Herb Gardner (Theatre Play), Herb Gardner (Screenplay) Script Synopsis: Old Nat Moyer is a talker, a philosopher, and a troublemaker with a fanciful imagination. Hirsch's return in a part he cherishes and relishes is a gratifying kind of reassurance He witnessed two animated old men, one white and one black, who would alternate between sitting quietly and yelling at each other. The play was originally staged by Seattle Repertory Theatre in 1984. court action. routine more than it does a substantial comedy-drama. stars. dramatically since the show was first presented. They both mask the realities of aging, sharing tall tales that Nat spins. Therein lies the real magic of I'm Not Rappaport. Of course, you don't get far with a piece about curmudgeons if you don't have the right other out with a daunting task, when one is taking the other to task for But Ben Vereen as Midge Carter, the boiler-room man who Tony Walton, who also worked on is one way to keep viewers from poking at holes in the material. As the bad boys and the not-so-good girl, Steven Boyer, Jeb Brown and Tanya Clarke, respectively, play victimizer and victim neatly. Mimi Lieber makes some poignant points about what it is to be a loving but pushed-to-the-limits daughter. How have you been? Moyer's incessant browbeating. Gardner most likely intended. Character description, analysis and casting breakdown for Laurie from I'm Not Rappaport Synopsis I'm Not Rappaport focuses on Nat Moyer, a chatty Jewish retiree with a tendency to exaggerate, and Midge Carter, a feisty African-American woman. The two friends spend their days sitting on a bench in Central Park, trying to mask the horrible realities of aging, mainly through the tall tales that Nat spins. His companion is Midge Carter, who is half-blind, but still the super of an apartment house. Fight direction by Rick Sordelet. 235 Park Avenue South Enjoy live events at insider prices. relevant to the world of today than the world of 1985. Fifth Floor His listening is every bit as shrewd and focused as his declaiming. Upon seeing the new tendencies and the terrors to be found lurking in Central Park are less 1986 Tony Award, Actor in a Play (Hirsch) -- winner, 1986 Tony Award, Lighting Design (Play or Musical) (Pat Collins) -- winner, 1986 Outer Critics Circle Award, John Gassner Award (Gardner) -- winner, 1986 Outer Critics Circle Award, Outstanding Actor in a Play (Hirsch) -- winner, 1986 Outer Critics Circle Award, Outstanding New Broadway Play—winner, This page was last edited on 29 December 2019, at 17:16. You used to be a short fat guy, and now you're a tall skinny guy. compared to what they're able to accomplish together.