Appropriate (play)
| Appropriate | |
|---|---|
 Broadway Promotional Poster | |
| Written by | Branden Jacobs-Jenkins |
| Date premiered | 2013 |
| Place premiered | Actors Theatre of Louisville |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | Drama |
| Setting | The living room of a former plantation home in southeast Arkansas. Summer. |
Appropriate is a dramatic play written by American playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.
Synopsis[edit]
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 the discovery of a relic buried deep in the recess of their family's past, decades of resentment burst through centuries of historical sin.[1]
Characters[edit]
- 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[edit]
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 Actors Theatre of Louisville in the Humana Festival of New American Plays.[2]
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. [3][4]
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.[5] 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.[6]
Appropriate opened at the Donmar Warehouse in London August 22, 2019, following previews from August 16. It played a limited run to October 5.[7][8]
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 Lila Neugebauer as the director.[9][10] Previews began on November 29, 2023, with the official opening on December 18, 2023. The show extended for a second time, concluding its run at the Hayes on March 3, 2024. Appropriate transferred to the Belasco Theatre on March 25, 2024 and is scheduled to run through June 23, 2024. The extended cast includes everyone except Elle Fanning, who was replaced by Ella Beatty, daughter of Warren Beatty, making her Broadway debut.[11][12]
Original casts[edit]
| Character | Louisville[5] | Off-Broadway[5] | Los Angeles[5] | London[8] | Broadway[8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2019 | 2023 | |
| 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 | Graham Campbell |
| 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 Lincoln Cohen |
| 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 |
Awards and nominations[edit]
2024 Broadway debut[edit]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 |
Drama League Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Appropriate | Pending | [13] |
| Distinguished Performance | Sarah Paulson | Pending | |||
| Corey Stoll | Pending | ||||
| Outstanding Direction of a Play | Lila Neugebauer | Pending | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Revival of a Play | Pending | [14] | ||
| Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Play | Sarah Paulson | Pending | |||
| Outstanding Direction of a Play (Broadway of Off-Broadway) | Lila Neugebauer | Pending | |||
| Outstanding Scenic Design (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Dots | Pending | |||
References[edit]
- ^ Appropriate play scriptaccessed 07-30-23
- ^ Appropriate Louisville Humana Reviewaccessed 07-3023
- ^ Victory Gardens Appropriateaccessed 07-30-23
- ^ Theatre in DC Appropriateaccessed 07-30-23
- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ Center Theatre Group Appropriateaccessed 07/30/23
- ^ Wood, Alex (2019-06-14). "Appropriate at Donmar Warehouse full cast joining Monica Dolan announced". WhatsOnStage.com. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
- ^ a b c "APPROPRIATE". Donmar Warehouse. Retrieved 2022-08-27.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Second Stage Theater". 2st.com. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
- ^ Higgins, Molly. "Broadway's Appropriate Announces 2nd Extension, Transfer to Belasco Theatre" Playbill.com, February 13, 2024
- ^ [1]
- ^ "2024 Drama League Award Nominations announced". Theatermania. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ "Dead Outlaw, Stereophonic Lead 2024 Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations". Theatermania. Retrieved April 23, 2024.