Appropriate
just wrapped at Woolly Mammoth in Washington D.C. and it is exhibit B of a
triumphant return – after a series of questionable productions over the past
year or so – as the city’s best theater company.
Following the also-excellent Detroit
(exhibit A), Appropriate delves into comedic drama, with black playwright
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins examining white siblings gathering with their families
in Arkansas to determine what to do with their deceased father’s hoarded
belongings in his decrepit mansion.
Wild child Frank (played with Stanley Kuwalski-like furor by
Tim
Getman), Bo (a Jack Nicholson-like, cell-phone addicted, big-bucks New
Yorker), and nasty racist-like-her father Toni (the always-excellent Deborah
Hazlett) discover possessions in their father’s house that lead them to
confront whether their family has a history that includes KKK involvement.
The fact that Jacobs-Jenkins is able to keep the play from
turning overly dark is a testament to his writing talent and gives Appropriate
the stunning power to – hopefully – further our societal conversations about
race and equity.
****1/2 out of *****
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