Appropriate by Brandon Jacob-Jenkins (3men, 4 women, 1 child)
THE STORY: Every estranged member of the Lafayette clan has descended upon the crumbling Arkansas homestead to settle the accounts of the newly-dead patriarch. As his three adult children sort through a lifetime of hoarded mementos and junk, they collide over clutter, debt, and a contentious family history. But after a disturbing discovery surfaces among their father’s possessions, the reunion takes a turn for the explosive, unleashing a series of crackling surprises and confrontations.
Labels: BIPOC Playwright, contemporary, drama
posted by Larisa at 9:48 AM
8 Comments:
This is a challenging piece and I worry that it would be off putting to some of the past patrons. As the only scenic designer in the group, I don't know how you stage the last scene of the play. Both of those things being said, This is one of the best plays that I have read in a while. Dialogue was engaging. Cast size and diverse ages of actors. It has so many important messages about family trauma. YES from me.
As I said when I suggested it, I'm not sure how to stage the last scene. It is a play the group deserves to read. Jacob-Jenkins is a playwright we should keep an eye on. He is a 30 something black playwright who won an Obie for Appropriate and who has a couple of other plays (one of which is Gloria, which I previously mentioned) were Pulitzer finalists. Yes for me.
This script is SO GOOD! So so good! I really want to say yes, but I also have concerns about producing this right now. First, this is HEAVY and difficult for actors, directors, and designers. I have concerns about emotional well-being and safety, particularly with so many children in the cast. If we were to produce it, we would need to assemble a team of folks that are able to work with so much care around how this is handled and how we are casting and rehearsing with young people. It would need very attentive intimacy and fight direction. Second, if we produce this, we need to make sure we have some strong scripts elsewhere in the season for actors of color. I love that this is by a black playwright, but it is an explicitly white cast. I want to be sure that we are making welcome spaces for BIPOC actors.
Is it worth looking at Gloria again? It didn't seem to be on the blog anymore, so I don't know what folks said about that script. We also had a couple of potential directors mention the script "Everybody" (retelling of Everyman - very different from this script, but maybe something to check out if we are interested in this playwright?)
This is one of the most compelling and interesting plays I've read in a long while. Very well written. The characters were all so believable and complex. The last scene would be hard to stage. Finding children who can handle the sensitive subject matter would be difficult. As an audience member, it is definitely a play that I would want to see but it has many challenges.
We never read "Gloria", but I wouldn't mind looking at it as we consider this one. This playwright is very talented!
This play is August Osage County good - but the ending as written is simply out of our reach. We should read more by this playwright.
I believe we read this a number of years ago and I also saw a production of it at the Paul Newman playhouse in Westport CT. It was well produced and well acted but it was agonizing to watch and I absolutely hated it (as did everyone else I was with). I can see I am outnumbered on the committee, so I won't summarize all the things we hated about the play. Suffice it to say, it is not one I would ever consider seeing another production of.
This was an incredibly riveting and intense play. Although the subject matter is very dark and at times graphic, I think it tells an important story and captures the complexity of generational secrets, prejudices, trauma, and dysfunction-- as well as the reality of hatred and bigotry that is well and alive in America. I do agree that having child actors in such a dark production would be a challenge, and some of the scenes (mainly the final scene) would be very difficult to stage. Either way, I agree that we should check out more by this playwright.
Can't say I would be interested in seeing this on stage but was an interesting read. With the last scene out of reach it is a no for me.
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