''The American Plan'' is a play by

Richard Greenberg Richard Greenberg (born February 22, 1958) is an American playwright and television writer known for his subversively humorous depictions of middle-class American life. He has had more than 25 plays premiere on and Off-Broadway in New York City ...

, which ran both

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

in 1990 and on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in 2009.

Productions

The play premiered

, produced by the

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has ...

at New York City Center Stage II on January 23, 1990, and closed on February 18, 1990 after 32 performances. Directed by Evan Yionoulis the cast featured

Rebecca Miller Rebecca Augusta Miller, Lady Day-Lewis (born September 15, 1962) is an American filmmaker and novelist. She is known for her films ''Angela'', '' Personal Velocity: Three Portraits'', '' The Ballad of Jack and Rose'', ''The Private Lives of Pipp ...

(Lili),

Tate Donovan Tate Buckley Donovan (born September 25, 1963) is an American actor, comedian and television director. He is known for portraying Tom Shayes in ''Damages'', Jimmy Cooper in '' The O.C.'', and the voice of the title character in the 1997 Disney ...

(Nick),

Beatrice Winde Beatrice Winde (born Beatrice Lucille Williams; January 5, 1924 – January 3, 2004) was an American actress. Her work as a character actor, and a singer, in theatrical, television, and film roles, spanned several decades. Life and career W ...

(Olivia), Joan Copeland (Eva) and

Eric Stoltz Eric Cameron Stoltz (born September 30, 1961) is an American actor, director and producer. He played the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film ''Mask'', which earned him the nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Suppor ...

(Gil). The play transferred to the Manhattan Theatre Club Mainstage on December 4, 1990 and closed on January 18, 1991 after 52 performances. The cast featured Wendy Makkena (Lili), D. W. Moffett (Nick), Joan Copeland (Eva),

Yvette Hawkins Yvette Hawkins (September 28, 1940 – April 10, 1995) was an American actress on Broadway, on television, and in films. Early life Yvette Hawkins was born in New York City. Career Earlier in her career, Hawkins was a member of the New Lafayette ...

(Olivia), and Jonathan Walker (Gil). The Manhattan Theatre Club presented the play on

at the

Samuel J. Friedman Theatre The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, formerly the Biltmore Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 261 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1925, it was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in the neo-Renais ...

from January 2, 2009 in previews, opening January 22, and closing March 22, 2009. Directed by David Grindley, the cast featured

Mercedes Ruehl Mercedes J. Ruehl (; born February 28, 1948) is an American screen, stage, and television actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, two Obie Awards, an ...

and Lily Rabe. The Theatre Royal Bath presented the play from March 7 to April 6, 2013, starring Luke Allen-Gale as Nick,

Diana Quick Diana Marilyn Quick (born 23 November 1946) is an English actress. Early life and family background Quick was born on 23 November 1946 in London, England. She grew up in Dartford, Kent, the third of four children. Her father was Leonard Q ...

as Eva and Emily Taaffe as Lili.Billington, Michael
"Review. ''The American Plan''"
''The Guardian'', 17 March 2013

Plot

In 1960 Eva Adler, who is a widow, has a vacation home in the

Catskill Mountains The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas cl ...

, in New York, across a lake from a resort. Her daughter, Lili Adler, is a socially awkward 20-year old who feels trapped by her mother's constant attention. Lili meets Nick Lockridge, an aspiring architect who is engaged to a woman from a wealthy family. Lili and Nick develop a romantic relationship over the course of the summer. Eva, Lili's controlling mother, is against any relationship and works to discredit Nick.

Critical response

Michael Billington, in his review of the 2013 Theatre Royal Bath production for ''The Guardian'', wrote: "But what makes the play so compelling is Greenberg's ambivalent view of his characters. We are never sure whether Lili's affable suitor, Nick, is quite what he seems, any more than we know whether Eva might be genuinely seeking to protect her fantasising daughter from a hostile world." ''The New Yorker Magazine'' reviewer of the 2009 production wrote: "From this somewhat incredible beginning, with its glib exposition that smacks of romantic comedy, Greenberg reverses our narrative expectations and spins a psychologically astute, compelling study of narcissistic delusion—his version of 'The Heiress,' in which the payoff is not revenge but revelation about the stranglehold of symbiosis....The play, however, is about greed of an altogether different kind: financial, psychic, and sexual.""Smother Love"
''The New Yorker'', February 2, 2009

Awards and nominations

Joan Copeland won the 1990-1991 OBIE Award, Performance.

References

External links

''The American Plan'' at the Internet Broadway database
1990 plays Plays by Richard Greenberg Broadway plays Plays set in New York (state) {{1990s-play-stub