THE STORY: In Toronto, 1961, Sarah Grosberg prepares tea she will serve to her future daughter-in-law, eighteen-year-old Rochelle Bloom. Vincent, her Polish housekeeper arrives, puts on his dress (he cleans in drag), and gets to work. Rochelle arrives, and Sarah begins questioning her. Sarah does not think she is good enough for her son, Artie. Rochelle is poor, her family has terrible genes, but worst of all, they live in a house but can’t afford to pay for the wedding. Rochelle stands up for her family and for her love for Artie, whom she will support while he is finishing his philosophy degree. Philosophy? Sarah thinks her son is studying dentistry. Just then, Artie arrives. Sarah confronts him and demands that Rochelle give him his ring back. At this, Vincent interferes and confronts Sarah about her own past. She does not come from a rich, educated family in the old country but is an abandoned orphan. Sarah, broken and ashamed, begs Artie not to ever tell anyone her terrible secret. Act Two jumps forward forty years to the industrial city of Hefei, China, where Jeannie Grosberg, Sarah’s single granddaughter has come with her father Arthur (Artie, all grown up) to adopt a baby, whom she will name Sarah, after her grandmother. After she gets the baby, she calls her mother and worriedly tells her that Sarah is sick and weak. Another couple, Miles and Maggie, goes to the orphanage and brings back information about Sarah. But Arthur will have nothing of it. He thinks that Jeannie should give the baby back. Late at night, Jeannie stands up to him, and Arthur finally accepts the baby as his granddaughter. On the Great Wall of China, Arthur speaks to Sarah about the woman she is named for. Sarah, from Act One, appears. Arthur tells his mother not to be ashamed. Sarah holds Sarah.
“Deftly written, a pleasure to watch. Mr. Goldfarb is an audience-friendly writer.” —The New York Times.
“A comedy-drama of the first order, as moving as it is funny, exploring remote corners within the familiar, thus managing to be both readily recognizable and totally new—if your eyes remain dry, there must be something wrong with your lachrymal glands…An expert blend of humor and pathos, giving the four actors a chance to play quite different roles with equal expertise.” —New York Magazine.
“The playwright is a sensitive observer of the conflicting responsibilities of parenthood, and the way emotional burdens from childhood play out in adult lives, writing natural, understated dialogue that gently draws out the plays themes.” —Variety.
“A gently humorous, thoughtful and ultimately moving examination of how families are linked across generations and continents. Goldfarb’s play covers a lot of miles, but it’s emotionally grounded in a very small, personal space: the tender, yet often tempestuous relationships between parent and child.” —Associated Press.
