A Letter from Ethel Kennedy
THE STORY: Kit Conway, a thirty-nine-year-old HIV-positive television executive, is attempting to make amends with his mother, Bridget, and father, Jimmy, before he dies. At the same time he is trying to complete an autobiographical play about his parents. The story unfolds over three lunches at a restaurant in New York City’s Theatre District. The first lunch, in summer, is with his mother, a whiny alcoholic in denial about her son’s illness. At the second lunch, in the spring, Kit meets up with his father, who has nothing but criticism for him. In the final act, Kit has died, and his mother, who is trying to better herself by attending AA meetings, has lunch with Kit’s ex-lover, Matthew, as she hopes to find out if her son knew love. What she does find out is Kit’s desire to have his autobiographical play performed onstage, for all to see.
“…an old-fashioned, comfort-food comedy that reaffirms the well-worn adage, 'you can’t go home again.' “ —The New York Times.
“[A] highly personal play [with] articulate expressions of long-standing family grievances and clear-eyed summaries of emotional histories.” —Newsday (NY).
“There is a play within a play within a life…heartfelt…nicely crafted…” —Variety.
“…a swirl of anger, wryness, befuddlement and resignation that reads heartbreakingly authentic…” —Time Out New York.
