Sergei Rachmaninoff figures prominently throughout Spring Forward, Fall Back, a story of fathers and sons and the sons that come next, of musical connection and of cultural identity.

The Russian composer enters first as an unseen neighbor of the protaganist Richard’s younger self; he plays away unseen in the downstairs apartment he inhabits, much to Richard’s father’s annoyance. Perhaps in an act of rebellion, or perhaps out of genuine affection for his work, Rachmaninoff becomes Richard’s favorite composer later in life, one he defends to his own unappreciative son. Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto, an ever-changing piece that can be gloomy one movement, assaulting the next, figures prominently throughout the play, weaving in and out of various scenes to poignant effect.

As a composer, Rachmaninoff has often been dismissed as mere schmaltz (a fact addressed directly in Spring Forward, Fall Back), and the same accusations may be brought against this play as well, particularly because of the deeply personal nature of its subject matter, and its intimate connection to playwright Robert Brustein. And while Rachmaninoff often gets a bad rap for cheesiness or, at best, can be embraced despite of his overtly romantic nature, the same largely can be said for Spring Forward, Fall Back. It has its moments of overindulgent sentimentality, but its more often come about as genuinely heartfelt than cliché.