Social Security By Andrew Bergman

This hour and a half play could very easily be transformed into the lead episode for situational comedy on television, serving as a domestic prompt that it is never too late for anyone to seek happiness, as well as some form of modern-day fairy-tale that affirms the phenomenal therapeutic potential of Love. The characters of the play consist of a pair of oldsters, a dyad of middle-aged couples, and a young woman gone wild--the most intriguing character who was spoken of but invisible throughout the play. The most important thing about this play is that it sends a fleeting cheerfulness and optimism that can hardly be noticed amidst the humdrum of life's daily ordeal (Barnidge).

The play commences as Martin and Trudy Heyman tells Barbara Kahn, Trudy's sister, and her husband David, that they cannot continue to care for Sophie Greengrass, the aged mother of both Barbara and Trudy. The Heymans' sudden announcement seems to be rooted from a problem about their daughter that they have been preoccupied with. Their daughter seems to have gone out of college in Buffalo, concurrently engaging in some menage a trois with two men. Thus, Martin and Trudy feel that it is their sacred duty as parents to run up to Buffalo and salvage their perverse daughter. Their concern seems so urgent that they had to leave right away, barely able to broadcast some few reminders to Barbara and David regarding Sophie's needs, such as she likes her tea hot and nice. The haste virtually spells the first act. Things escalate during the second act, as Sophie gets acquainted with 98-year old world-renowned artist Maurice Koenig. Sophie derives a bit of invigoration from Maurice. The two oldsters eventually embarked on some teenage-level romance, which is portrayed with much more regard for elderly people than what one would normally anticipate to witness in theaters nowadays (Thomas).

As the play unfolds, a few surprises emerge. The play's appeal essentially manifests through the tender yet highly realistic romance blooming between Maurice and Sophie. Overall, the play makes some few allusions to sexuality that some audiences might perceive as offensive. Hence, it is practically suitable to classify the play as an adult comedy (Thomas).

Profile of Andrew Bergman, the Playwright

Bergman garnered a doctorate degree in American History at Wisconsin University. The Ph.D. dissertation he wrote, entitled "We're in the Money: Depression America and Its Films," was a research manuscript on Hollywood movies of the Depression years, and published by the New York University Press in 1971. The publication was then reprinted by Harper and Row in paperback. Bergman's acquaintance with screwball comedy of the 1930s certainly inspired the old-fashioned style of entertainment in most of his movies, especially the populist notion of optimism communicated by "It Could Happen to You" and "Little Big League." Bergman also wrote a number of mystery novels and of course the theatrical comedy "Social Security" (Baseline Filmtracker), which is the main subject of this paper.

In 1985, New York magazine bestowed Bergman the title of "The Unknown King of Comedy" (Baseline Filmtracker). Bergman's career could suitably be mapped as a path from publisher and aspirant academic towards comedy film writing of utmost quality. Having written a 90-page script entitled "Tex X" about a black radical cowboy when he was 26, Bergman got himself collaborating with Mel Brooks and Richard Pryor on what would ultimately lead to the screenplay entitled "Blazing Slides" in 1974. He was bestowed in 1979 the entire credit for writing "The In-Laws," a hilarious hit that featured Alan Arkin and Peter Falk. Andy Webster, who wrote for PREMIERE, noticed that this particular work by Bergman laid the foundation of his art, which is characterized by rapid travesties portraying middlebrow characters that are ensnared in acute situations. Further on, he wrote