''About Time'' is a theatrical play written by playwright

Tom Cole Thomas Jeffery Cole (born April 28, 1949) is the U.S. representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party and serves as the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Before serving in the House of Representati ...

that debuted in 1990

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 tha ...

at the John Houseman Theater. This two-character play featured an elderly couple, identified only as Old Man and Old Woman, chatting and arguing about matters around the subject of death. Directed by Tony Giordano, the play original production starred

James Whitmore James Allen Whitmore Jr. (October 1, 1921 – February 6, 2009) was an American actor. He received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Theatre World Award, and a Tony Award, plus two Ac ...

and

Audra Lindley Audra Lindley (September 24, 1918 – October 16, 1997) was an American actress, most famous for her role as landlady Helen Roper on the sitcom '' Three's Company'' and its spin-off '' The Ropers''. Life and career Audra Lindley was born in L ...

, described in a

Mel Gussow Melvyn Hayes "Mel" Gussow (; December 19, 1933 – April 29, 2005) was an American theater critic, movie critic, and author who wrote for ''The New York Times'' for 35 years. Biography Gussow was born in New York City and grew up in Rockville ...

review as an "endearing couple" who "act their way through and around the slight play that Tom Cole has created for them". Lindley and Whitmore had been married to each other and divorced in 1979, yet continued to perform with each other on stage. The play presents four short scenes, titled "Breakfast", "Lunch", "Supper" and "Late Snack", with the play traditionally having an intermission between the second and third sets. Almost of the play revolves around food and meals, its preparation and consumption, set in the kitchen of their condo. The set, designed by Kent Dorsey, included a fully functional kitchen. The Old Woman laments how her advancing age has increased the amount of time she requires to prepare meals for Old Man's demanding appetite, including his favorite dish of chopped vegetables with sour cream, while her need for food has only diminished. The couple talks about their past, providing some limited insights into the characters, with the Old Man describing how he operated a successful business but regrets not doing more to have helped the needy, though the play provides little about Old Woman and her past or the steps that led her to taking a subservient role in their marriage to her husband. The second-most discussed issue behind food is sex, with Gussow describing in his review how Old Woman believes "that nymphomania may be her mania of choice". Gussow credited the director and cast for performing beyond the play's flaws, noting how Whitmore was able to play a "foxy pretender" even with his face hidden behind a newspaper, while Lindley combined humor and sweetness in her performance. The play had been produced at the

George Street Playhouse George Street Playhouse is a theater company in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in the city's Civic Square, New Brunswick, Civic Square government and theater district and resident at the newly built New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. The GSP is o ...

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Milwaukee Repertory Theater Milwaukee Repertory Theater ("Milwaukee Rep") is a theater company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded as the Fred Miller Theatre Company, the group is housed in the Associated Bank Theater Center, which includes the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, th ...

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

under ''The Eighties, or Last Love'', with Megan Hunt and Emmett O'Sullivan Moore in the two roles.Cole, Tom
"About Time"
via

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, Dramatists Play Service, Inc., 1991. . Accessed March 8, 2009.

References

{{Reflist 1990 plays Off-Broadway plays