Palisadian Playwright’s ‘Remainders’ of Marriage

How’s this for prolific? ‘I have a play opening in New York City in 15 minutes–a one-act play called ‘Fast Light and Brilliant,’ off-off-Broadway, at the Emerging Artists Theatre Festival,’ playwright Richard Martin Hirsch tells the Palisadian-Post, even as he discusses his latest L.A. stage production, ‘The Concept of Remainders,’ at the Chandler Studio Theatre in North Hollywood. ‘Concept of Remainders,’ which tackles ‘morality, mortality, sex, and how life choices can lead to surprising results,’ asks the question of what happens when conservative, middle-aged couple Mac and Mary, hitting a stagnant phase in their 15-year marriage, agree to allow each other to have sex with other partners during a 10-day window. The cast includes Meredith Bishop, Suzanne Ford, Bradley Fisher, Dan Gilvezan and Salli Saffioti. ”The Concept of Remainders’was actually begun before the other three,’ the writer says. ‘The challenge was to write something both funny and meaningful about middle-age relationships and how the nature of marriage has changed. The genesis of the play came from observing other married couples with children our child’s age.’ If ever there was a Palisades-bred playwright, it’s Hirsch. ‘I grew up here,’ Hirsch says. ‘My parents moved here in 1958. I went to high school here.’ After graduating from UCLA, Hirsch lived in Cheviot Hills for many years before returning to his native community. He married his wife, Sue, in 1988, and bought a house in the Riviera in 1990. ‘I’ve always loved the Palisades,’ Hirsch says. ‘My parents still live in the Palisades.’ Richard and Sue Hirsch have a 17-year-old college-bound daughter, Holly, now a junior at Palisades High. ‘A lot of the things she’s going through and has gone through was addressed in ‘The Monkey Jar,’ the whole competitive nature of schools,’ Hirsch says. ‘I’m having the best time I’ve ever had,’ Hirsch says. ‘It’s a great cast of actors, a terrific director, Mark L. Taylor. We’ve been having such a fun time working to get it ready.’ He notes that, among the cast, Bishop is appearing in her third Hirsch-authored production, while Saffiotti just played in his ‘Monkey Jar.’ Earlier this year, ‘Monkey Jar’ played at the Beverly Hills High School-based Theatre 40. Last year, he celebrated the run of his play ‘Atonement’ (not to be confused with the novel and its Oscar-nominated feature adaptation). ‘All my work has humor in it, but of the last four plays, three have been dramas,’ Hirsch says. In April 2006, the Hirsch drama ‘The Quality of Light’ was named ‘Critics’ Choice’ in Los Angeles Times, L.A. Weekly and Backstage West. The acclaim for ‘Light’ culminated with an Ovation Award nomination for ‘Best World Premiere Play.’ ‘I’m an avid fan of theater and I see a lot of theater around town,’ Hirsch says. ‘L.A.’s theater culture, it’s strained financially, but there’s a lot of good work.’ He cites a local version of Margaret Edson’s ‘Wit’ and a recent workshop production of ‘Only Say the Word’ by Colin Mitchell as examples of work he enjoyed and admired. As for his own play, he sees his ‘Concept’ comedy as a window into what is very much drama for a lot of people. ‘It’s a look at how the passion in a long-time marriage is lost and yet there’s still this undercurrent,’ Hirsch says. ‘Especially with the men, there’s almost this grief about the passion being gone, about less excitement, as the talk turns to the future, children, school, career, etc.’ Well, you get the concept’now go see ‘Concept.’ ‘The Concept of Remainders’ runs through May 17 on Friday and Saturday evenings, 8 p.m.; Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. at the Chandler Studio Theatre Center, 12443 Chandler Blvd., North Hollywood. Tickets: $22. Cash only at the door, or go to www.theprodco.com or call (800) 838-3006 to order tickets.