Herb Gardner's I'm Not Rappaport, now revived on Broadway, is a joyful experience. Two alter kockers, one of them an old Red, sit on a park bench in New York and cope with the contemporary world and the frustrations of being old. Performed by the sensational Judd Hirsch in a turn that can only be accomplished by many years of understanding the character (he won a Tony for the same role years ago) and with fine support by Ben Vereen and a very good Anthony Arkin, the delights multiply as the brilliantly written play unfolds.
Daniel Sullivan's snappy direction, the perfect Central Park set by Tony Walton (with excellent lighting by Pat Collins) and just-right costumes by Teresa Snider-Stein, all help bring the play to full life, juxtaposing Hirsch's absurd behavior with a natural reality in the stage picture. This is a comedic but very moving show that digs deep into the psyche of the two old men. Not to be missed.
