Gathering around an aging parent has become a frequent theme in movies and on Broadway. Siblings share their memories, emotions arise and rivalries play out. If I Forget, by Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen), begins in a familiar way. Michael, Holly and Sharon meet at their old home to celebrate the 75th birthday of their father (played by Larry Bryggman.) Except for a couple of scenes, one especially moving when he’s describing the liberation of Dachau, the father is merely the catalyst for other events.
Sharon (Maria Dizzia), the youngest child, is a teacher who lives nearby. She resentfully assumed much of the responsibility when their mother had taken ill many months before and has now done the same for the father. Kate Walsh plays the oldest child, Holly, who is pretentious, blunt and slightly dishonest. Asked how things are, she responds cheerfully rather than truthfully. Michael (Jeremy Shamos) is a Jewish studies professor up for tenure who has written an inflammatory book suggesting that people “forget the Holocaust.” He explains that his thesis is a political and academic idea meant to provoke conversation, but ultimately it costs him his job and embroils him in a costly lawsuit.
When the father has fallen ill and becomes incapacitated, the three meet again to determine how to care for him. The main item of contention is his haberdashery, a building in an up-and-coming neighborhood. Sharon has gotten romantically involved with the present tenant, a married Guatemalan storekeeper, and doesn’t want to evict the family. Holly wants to rent the store herself to start an interior decorating business. Michael is facing his own financial issues, including caring for his daughter, Abby, who developed Jerusalem Syndrome after her Birthright trip to Israel. When he turns to Holly’s husband, Howard, he learns that Howard has foolishly given his credit card information to a woman he met online who has bilked him of much of his money.