Before I Leave You

Before I Leave You tells the story of four longtime friends in Harvard Square. Emily (Kippy Goldfarb), a painter, is surrounded by change. Koji (Glenn Kubota), her husband of forty years, suddenly embraces his Asian roots. Jeremy (Ross Bickell) is at work on a novel but interrupted by a health scare. Trish (Karen MacDonald), Jeremy’s sister and an out-of-work realtor, further complicates his life by moving in. Emily’s son Peter (Alexis Camins) prepares to move out and make empty nesters of his parents. When one of the old friends jumps at an expected chance for happiness, the others face crisis and opportunity in this moving new comedy.

The play’s action takes place in and around Harvard Square at locations that will be familiar to local audiences; the friends dine together regularly at the Royal East, a Chinese restaurant located between Cambridge’s Central and Kendall Squares.