About the Play:

I'm Not Rappaport has long been a favourite of acting teachers for Male Monologues and Male/Male Scenes (particularly suitable for those over 40 years old).

I'm Not Rappaport is a full-length comedy by Herb Gardner. The author of A Thousand Clowns brings us another set of the particular creatures that are New Yorkers. A lifelong radical and world-class kibitzer, retiree Nat Moyer spends his afternoons spinning outrageous yarns that both intrigue and infuriate fellow octogenarian Midge Carter, the half-blind building superintendent with whom Nat shares his Central Park bench.

I'm Not Rappaport takes place in 1982 under a bridge in New York's Central Park. Two octogenarians, one white, one black, meet regularly, determined to fight off all attempts to put them out to pasture. Nat Moyer is a crusty Jewish radical with a tendency to exaggerate whose daughter is urging him into the old folk's home. Midge Carter, a half-blind African-American apartment superintendent, spends his days in the park hiding in the past and from his disgruntled tenants. These appealing seniors humorously take on the world and its many threats, 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. Herb Gardner was inspired while writing in Central Park. He saw two animated old men, one black and one white, alternating between sitting quietly and yelling at each other. Their strange friendship intrigued Gardner and he used it as the basis for the main characters, Nat and Midge. I'm Not Rappaport explores the realities of aging, surviving in an urban jungle, and finding a safe place in the world.

I'm Not Rappaport had pre-Broadway engagements in 1984 at Seattle Repertory Theatre and then off Broadway at American Place Theatre. It premiered in 1983 at the Booth Theatre, ran for two years on Broadway, and won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1986. The play has become a favourite scene study vehicle in acting classes and workshops and is regularly performed in regional, middle school, high school, college, and community theatre productions.

Cast: 2 female, 5 male

What people say:

"Rambunctiously funny." — New York Post

"A warm and entertaining evening." — Women's Wear Daily

About the Playwright:

Herb Gardner (1934-2003) was an American commercial artist, cartoonist, playwright and screenwriter. Born in Brooklyn, he was educated at the New York High School of the Performing Arts, the Carnegie Institute of Technology and Antioch College. He first came to public attention in the 1950s as the author of The Nebbishes, a nationally syndicated comic strip about social gadflies, which he retired in 1960 to concentrate on writing. Best known for his Broadway hits A Thousand Clowns, I'm Not Rappaport and Conversations With My Father, he wrote few plays but their undeniable humour and commercial appeal made him among the most produced playwrights worldwide.