Directed by Daniel Sullivan, the cast starred Judd Hirsch (Nat), Cleavon Little (Midge Carter), Jace Alexander (Gilley), and Mercedes Ruehl (Clara).
[5] Inspired by two elderly men Gardner met in New York City's Central Park, the play focuses on Nat Moyer, a feisty Jew, and Midge Carter, a cantankerous African-American, who spend their days sitting on a bench.
The play touches on several issues, including society's treatment of the aging, the difficulties dealing with adult children who think they know what's best for their parents, and the dangers that lurk in urban areas.
Its title comes from an old vaudeville joke, a variation of which evolved into dialogue between the two protagonists: The 1996 film version, written and directed by Gardner, starred Walter Matthau, Ossie Davis, Amy Irving, Craig T. Nelson, Martha Plimpton, Peter Friedman, and Ron Rifkin.
[6] In 2012, a theatre group in Germany had come under fire for allowing a white actor to paint his face and take the part of the black character Midge Carter on stage.