If I Forget

by Steven Levenson

In the final months before 9/11, liberal Jewish studies professor Michael Fischer has reunited with his two sisters to celebrate their father’s seventy-fifth birthday. Each deeply invested in their own version of family history, the siblings clash over everything from Michael’s controversial scholarly work to the mounting pressures of caring for an ailing parent. As destructive secrets and long-held resentments bubble to the surface, the three negotiate—with biting humor and razor-sharp insight—how much of the past they’re willing to sacrifice for a chance at a new beginning. IF I FORGET tells a powerful tale of a family and a culture at odds with itself.

Genres: Plays, Theatre

110 pages, Paperback

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is now the 5th play I've read by this playwright - best known for Dear Evan Hansen - and I've enjoyed all but one of them. This is a firmly solid family drama, centering around a Jewish family in the days before 9/11, and their myriad internecine squabbles. Had it not descended into several screaming matches and had a stronger ending (which appears to be Levenson's bête noire), this might have gotten 5 stars. The NYT review is pretty spot-on: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/th....

[Lenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and brutal. While it was written in 2017 it is very prescient as after the Hamas massacre of 1200 Jews and the taking of 251 hostages that happened in 2023, we are now seeing the spread of anti-semitism by the extreme left as really taking hold here in the U.S. Levinson's story of how the family deals with their personal travails while taking in the history of their ancestors, their legacy, the constant change in the world is fascinating.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ferocious family drama…

[sim · Rating 5 out of 5]

wait that was low-key so crazy 😭😭 soooo crazy

[Cori · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Play discussion group script #18)