From the moment of the birth of his daughter, Rich Topol searches for a father to replace the one he lost and finds two - his renowned father-in-law Lukas Foss and himself. With themes of family and mortality, the play also explores what it means to juggle being an artist and father at the same time. This funny and poignant tale is filled with Foss’s musical genius, which underscores this Everyman’s journey.
RICHARD TOPOL (Playwright and Performer) BROADWAY: Lemml in INDECENT (Outer Critics Circle Nomination), FISH IN THE DARK (with Larry David), THE NORMAL HEART (Drama Desk Award), THE MERCHANT OF VENICE (with Al Pacino), THE COUNTRY GIRL (directed by Mike Nichols), CYMBELINE, JULIUS CAESAR (with Denzel Washington), SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL, and AWAKE & SING (Drama Desk Award). OFF-BROADWAY: PRAYER FOR THE FRENCH REPUBLIC (MTC), OUR CLASS (Lortel Award), Shylock in THE MERCHANT OF VENICE and DANCE OF DEATH (CSC), ANATOMY OF A SUICIDE (Atlantic Theater Company), THE UNBELIEVING (The Civilians at 59E59), BRONX BOMBERS and OPUS (Primary Stages), KING LEAR, TWELFTH NIGHT, and THE WINTER'S TALE (Public Theater), WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING (Lincoln Center), THE WAYSIDE MOTOR INN (Signature Theatre), MOUTH TO MOUTH (The New Group), HAMLET (Theatre for a New Audience), OMNIUM GATHERUM, and new plays at Playwrights Horizons, Soho Rep, Naked Angels, EST, and New Georges. FILM/TV: Steven Spielberg's LINCOLN, INDIGNATION, MICKEY BLUE EYES, PARTY GIRL; recurring roles on GODFATHER OF HARLEM, Netflix’s A MAN IN FULL, MANIFEST, GENIUS: EINSTEIN, PERCEPTION, COVERT AFFAIRS, and THE PRACTICE; guest starring on THE GOOD DOCTOR, THE BLACKLIST, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, THE GOOD WIFE, ELEMENTARY, all LAW & ORDER series, RESCUE ME, GILMORE GIRLS, NURSE JACKIE, ED, DAMAGES, DREW CAREY, and MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE. Two New York Stage and Film Play Readings with Max Mayer back in the late 1990s—one play written by Max, the other directed by him.
WILLY HOLTZMAN (Playwright) works include: HARD ROAD TO HEAVEN, TRAUMA QUEEN, SMART BLONDE, SOMETHING YOU DID, SABINA (play and musical), THE CONFIDENCE MAN, HEARTS, G.O.B., HONOR FLIGHT, BOVVER BOYS, THE CLOSER, THE FIRST MRS. ROCHESTER, THE REAL MCGONAGALL, INSIDE OUT, THE FORWARD OBSERVER, THE LAST TEMPTATION OF JOE HILL, WHITE TRASH, SAN ANTONIO SUNSET, and THE MORINI STRAD (which recently received its European premiere in Vienna). He wrote and produced EDGE OF AMERICA, which opened the Sundance Film Festival and for which he received the Peabody Award, the Writers Guild Award, and the Humanitas Prize. He was a Wallace Fellowat the Juilliard School and is a longtime board member of New Dramatists.
MAX MAYER (Director)* is a Founder and Producing Director of NEW YORK STAGE AND FILM which for 40 years has earned a national reputation for developing new work for the American Theatre such as HAMILTON, DOUBT, THE HUMANS, HADESTOWN, the dreamer examines his pillow, SIDEMAN, ESCAPE FROM HAPPINESS, TRU and many, many more. Max has directed world and US premieres of plays by John Patrick Shanley, George F. Walker, Alexandra Vassilaros, Richard Nelson, Eric Overmeyer, Lee Blessing, Joanna Murray Smith and Athol Fugard at theatres such as Second Stage, Arena Stage, Steppenwolf, Long Wharf, and Atlantic. For film, Max wrote and directed ADAM starring Rose Byrne and Hugh Dancy, directed As Cool As I Am with .Claire Danes and James Marsden, Better Living with Olympia Dukakis and Roy Scheider as well as TV episodes of THE WEST WING, ALIAS and FAMILY LAW.
LARRY COPELAND (Assistant Stage Manager) is very excited to be working with New York Stage and Film. Larry has been on Stage Management teams in Canada, the US, the UK and China. Favorite shows: Canada - THE LION KING, I AM MY OWN WIFE, LARRY’S PARTY, US - LEAP OF FAITH, EXIT STRATEGY, BELLE OF AMHERST. Larry also spent 2 summers as coordinator for the Director’s Lab at Lincoln Center.