SCR/Party Play with Ann Conway

Artistic Director Martin Benson, playwright Richard Greenberg and actor Caroline Lagerfelt

Actor Reg Rogers, Jane and Steve Tucci

FIRST NIGHTERS CELEBRATE PREMIERE
OF GREENBERG'S 'THE INJURED PARTY'
By Ann Conway

Nothing like a tasty little nosh before bedtime. In a culinary tribute to the New York deli, there was lox and cream cheese, beef brisket, Kosher pickles and Reuben sandwiches at the First Nighters' bash following the world premiere on April 25 of Tony Award-winning Richard Greenberg's SCR-commissioned The Injured Party.

When you asked SCR Special Events Manager Cortney Carlisle to address the bash's upbeat color scheme, she explained that the bright orange cloths draped on the chic cocktail tables were a tribute to Christo's "The Gates," the thrilling 2005 art installation in New York's Central Park that provides the timeline for Greenberg's play about a Jewish family's twisted encounters with love, hate, wealth, guilt and the temporality of life. And there was a flavorful libation that was yours for the pouring—a jolting combination of Skye Orange Vodka and Sprite on ice garnished with a juicy orange slice, called “Agent Orange.” If you had a sweet tooth, there were mounds of flaky rugalach arrayed on the dessert table, along with steaming java.

Surrounded by a crush of well-wishers on Ela's Terrace, Greenberg—who has penned eight world premieres for SCR—could only dream about the mouthwatering fare by Mark's Catering that awaited him. Instead of cruising the buffet, he patiently answered queries such as: "Is the play autobiographical?" His deadpan reply: "I have never written an autobiographical sentence in my life! This play could be about Catherine the Great! That's a lie, but I'm sticking to it."

Greenberg had nothing but kudos for the First Nighters' response to the production directed by Trip Cullman that has at its emotional center a drop-dead-rich, 90-something grandmother, Maxine, saltily played by Cynthia Harris. "This was an extremely astute audience," he said. "They laughed at stuff that was subtle and required real tracking of the story. For a playwright, it doesn't get any better than that."

In turn, SCR buffs had kudos for Greenberg, a playwright known for witty and wry works that tap into the psyche of the well-heeled city dwellers. "I love the depth of Greenberg's writing, " said Paula Tomei, SCR's Managing Director. "He is so intelligent, thought-provoking, terrific! This play gives you so much to think about—what it means to be part of a family, how those ties affect the way you feel and who you are as a person."

Observed David Emmes, SCR's Producing Artistic Director: "Greenberg is an extraordinary observer with a unique perspective. He has such an intelligent way of mining the human experience."

SCR benefactor Elaine Weinberg seemed to speak for the lively crowd when she called Greenberg a "brilliant playwright who really makes you laugh at yourself." In all the right places.

Director Trip Cullman and Dee and Larry Higby	Kim and Nancy Kelley
Chris Anderson and actor Cynthia Harris	playwright Richard Greenberg and actor Caroline Lagerfelt
Dr. Gordon and Hannarita Fishman, director Trip Cullman, Elizabeth and John Stahr	Michael Remington, actor T. Scott Cunningham and John Benecke
Lenny von Dohlen and actor Cynthia Harris	Tom Rogers, John Murphy and actor Lorenzo Pisoni
Artistic Director David Emmes, Susannah Schulman, Elaine Weinberg and actor Reg Rogers	Mary Roosevelt and Gisela Landereville
Actor T. Scott Cunningham and Linda and Tod White	Linda Hovee, Pablo and Anita Prietto and Bette Aitken
The candlelight setting	The New York deli spread