THE STORY: Over forty-eight hours in an Upper West Side apartment in Manhattan, four people attempt to bridge the gaps in their lives, heal old wounds and connect across seemingly unbridgeable cultural, conjugal and generational gulfs. The play revolves around Walter, a formidable, deeply principled German-Jewish doctor who fled Germany as Hitler came to power and who now clings to his past; Walter’s son, Yves, a middle-aged working actor, desperately trying to gain his father’s acceptance and love; Yves’ son, Daniel, swimming in confusion yet wholly devoted to his grandfather; and finally, Gaby, Yves’ ex-wife and Daniel’s mother, an outsider to the adversity between the fathers and sons, the bitterness of which threatens to consume her. Each member of the family circles one another trying to come to terms, yet they seem to move farther apart. The play culminates with Walter’s death, which seems may finally tear Yves, Gaby and Daniel completely apart; yet, at first helpless without him, the fractured family stays together.
A gripping play about families and the relationships that hold them together or tear them apart.
“…an often gripping investigation of painful four-way family relationships…this rigorous study in five scenes never breaks…[the] agenda is profoundly political. But Pearson’s triumph is that the politics are causal. They propel behavior, instead of the other way around. And that behavior is as integral to the character and dynamics as the space these four people share.” —Los Angeles Times.
“The play shows skillful writing…and wit. Small wonder that the Taper’s artistic director…placed himself at the helm for the world premiere of [the play].” —Variety.
