Appropriate (play)

Appropriate is a 2013 dramatic stage play written by American playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. The play will premiere on Broadway in 2023 starring Sarah Paulson at the Helen Hayes Theater as a part of Second Stage Theater's 2023–2024 season. [1]

Appropriate
Written byBranden Jacobs-Jenkins
Date premiered2013
Place premieredActors Theatre of Louisville
Original languageEnglish
SubjectDrama
SettingThe living room of a former plantation home in southeast Arkansas. Summer.

Synopsis

Appropriate follows the dysfunctional Lafayette family as they return to a decaying plantation mansion in Arkansas to battle over their recently deceased father's inheritance. Soon after uncovering a relic buried deep in the recess of their family's past, decades of resentment burst through centuries of historical sin in this biting, new comedic drama from one of America's most gifted young playwrights.[2]

Characters
  • Antoinette "Toni" Lafayette: the oldest sibling, late 40s/early 50s
  • Rhys Thurston: Toni's son, late teens
  • Beauregard "Bo" Lafayette: Toni's brother, late 40s/early 50s
  • Rachael Kramer-Lafayette: Bo's wife, late 40s
  • Cassidy "Cassie" Kramer-Lafayette: their daughter, early teens
  • Ainsley Kramer-Lafayette: their son, a child
  • Francois "Franz" Lafayette: brother of Toni and Bo, late 30s/early 40s
  • River Rayner: Franz's fiancee, early 20s

Production history

Jenkins conceived the play through participation with the Vineyard Arts Project and the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab beginning in 2011. The play was first performed at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in the Humana Festival of New American Plays.[3]

The play was next performed in Chicago at the Victory Gardens Theater and at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington D.C. in 2013. [4][5]

Appropriate began previews Off-Broadway on February 25, 2014, in The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at the Pershing Square Signature Center, New York. It had its opening night on March 16, 2014, playing a limited run to April 6.[6]Johanna Day was given the Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actress for her performance.

The play premiered on the West Coast at Center Theatre Group in 2015.[7]

Appropriate opened at the Donmar Warehouse in London August 22, 2019, following previews from August 16. It played a limited run to October 5.[8][9]

On June 15, 2023, Second Stage Theater announced that it would produce Appropriate at the Hayes Theater on Broadway as part of its 2023–2024 season, with performances set to begin in November 2023. Lila Neugebauer, who directed the original Off-Broadway production, will return to direct.[10][11]

Original casts
Character Louisville (2013)[6] Off-Broadway (2014)[6] Los Angeles (2015)[6] London (2019)[9] Broadway (2023)[9]
Antoinette 'Toni' Lafayette Jordan Baker Johanna Day Melora Hardin Monica Dolan Sarah Paulson
Franz Lafayette Reese Madigan Patch Darragh Robert Beitzel Edward Hogg Michael Esper
River Rayner Natalie Kuhn Sonya Harum Zarah Mahler Tafline Steen Elle Fanning
Rhys Thurston David Rosenblatt Mike Faist Will Tranfo Charles Furness Lincoln Cohen
Rachael Kramer-Lafayette Amy Lynn-Stewart Maddie Corman Missy Yager Jaimi Barbakoff Natalie Gold
Ainsley Kramer-Lafayette Gabe Weible Alex Dreier Liam Askew / Alexander Rodriguez Orlando Roddy / Oliver Savell Everett Sobers / Graham Campbell
Bo Lafayette Larry Bull Michael Laurence David Bishins Steven Mackintosh Corey Stoll
Cassidy Kramer-Lafayette Lilli Stein Izzy Hanson-Johnston Grace Kaufman Isabella Pappas Alyssa Emily Marvin

References
  1. Deadline Sarah Paulson Appropriateaccessed 07-30-23
  2. Appropriate play scriptaccessed 07-30-23
  3. Appropriate Louisville Humana Reviewaccessed 07-3023
  4. Victory Gardens Appropriateaccessed 07-30-23
  5. Theatre in DC Appropriateaccessed 07-30-23
  6. Purcell, Carey (25 February 2014). "Johanna Day, Alex Dreier, Sonya Harum and More Are Appropriate for Signature Theatre, Starting Feb. 25". Playbill. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  7. Center Theatre Group Appropriateaccessed 07/30/23
  8. Wood, Alex (2019-06-14). "Appropriate at Donmar Warehouse full cast joining Monica Dolan announced". WhatsOnStage.com. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  9. "APPROPRIATE". Donmar Warehouse. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
  10. Hall, Margaret (June 15, 2023). "Second Stage Will Give Branden Jacobs-Jenkins His Broadway Playwriting Debut This Fall With a New Production of Appropriate". Playbill. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  11. "Second Stage Theater". 2st.com. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
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