Appropriate

by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

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.
Winner of the 2014–2015 Obie Award for Best New American Play.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Theatre, Fiction, School, Historical Fiction, American

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating raised from a 3 to a 4.

New review, 12/23: Although I first read this 5 years ago, I wanted to revisit it, as it just opened on Broadway to rave reviews (and has already been extended), the first of this black playwright's works to make it to the 'Great White Way' (so to speak!). Although this seems to owe debts to many other similar works (most notably August: Osage County and even more so to Buried Child), it is really its own peculiar animal, and I wish I could get to NY to see its current incarnation with Sarah Paulson, Corey Stoll and Elle Fanning. Apparently it has been substantially rewritten since this original script, so perhaps the flaws I first noted have now been done away with.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/18/th...
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/202...
https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news...




Original review, 4/18: An intriguing play, as it presents the foibles of a Southern white family confronting their underlying inherent racism, as dissected by a black playwright - but I found the tonal shifts, from cornpone comedy to mordant melodrama, a bit disconcerting. Also, there are long stretches of the play in which characters essentially scream at each other non-stop, which I think would get wearisome quickly. Finally, the end scenes would seem to be next to impossible to stage as written, unless a theatre company was spending their entire yearly budget on special effects for a single show.

[Nat K]

I got to see this play performed by the STC yesterday and it is amazing.

Incredibly powerful writing - brought brilliantly to life by the amazing production.

I cannot wait to read this at some point. I have to squeeze it in somewhere. I so want to digest these words with my own eyes.


https://www.instagram.com/p/CLnmfX2pvbd/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CM1Hc-RrGdz/

[sam lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

just incredible, such a feat to have every single character be simultaneously despicable and sympathetic. would sell 14 of my organs to see this live. can’t believe that u could write this and then write everybody afterwards.

[Mckayla Witt · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know what kinda writer you gotta be to make me cry at a vicious bitch’s 11 o’clock monologue?

[Regan Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this play. Each character was so perfectly drawn, flaws and all, and the plot was so energetic the play moved so quickly. But I still found myself marinading in the grief, guilt, embarrassment, complicated love each of the characters were exhibiting. Reading this was very cathartic in a way, especially in a climatic moment toward the end. I wish I could see this on Broadway right now, so good.

[Colton Butcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brandon Jacob-Jenkins is a powerhouse modern playwright. Appropriate was powerful, emotional, current, and smart. BJJ is a playwright to keep your eyes on and someone I will voraciously read over and over.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I really wish I could have seen this play. Damn.

It reads really well. It's so easy to picture, and it's such a great, semi-universal premise. At some point, many of us find ourselves going through the belongings of our lost loved ones. It's often overwhelming. Sometimes, it's cathartic. Always we hope it goes better than it does in this play, and always we hope we don't find something that calls into question our memory/image of the lost person (at least if that memory or image is a good one).

This is tense. It's chaotic. The staging at the end sounds brilliant. It's a really, REALLY good play.

[Devoree Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Fascinating. Toni is a helluva character. River is beautiful. I loved it.

[Mya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theatre kid unlocked

[John Perine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Kaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cicadas get me every time. Such a beautiful, real work. Feels like a modern “Our Town.”

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what happens when family gets together and secrets arise!

[Rachel Grace Leman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like this deserves a 4.5, but I enjoyed reading it so much that I’m rounding up.

This is such a good character study of how white people contort our own narratives to assuage our guilt in order to continue benefiting from white privilege. The fact that the most redeeming member of the core family is someone who explicitly committed statutory really says something about this crop of characters. I have a feeling this one will stick with me for a while.

I would love to see this performed, because I do fear the numbers of monologues could bog down the show, and I’d like to see how a good director works around the huge chunks of text.

[Izebrakyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this play at an off broadway or Broadway theater and it was a well-written play that made me feel the feels. I was off-put by the all white cast but it made sense going through the play. I very much appreciated the historian background of BJJ (Branden Jacob-Jenkins) coming through in the dramaturgical elements of the play

[Gabe Steller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny, stressful play about a white family tearing itself apart trying to decide whether to completely deny, or profit handsomely from, its vile racist past!

A reminder of the wonderful utility of fiction, and how it enables us to explore imaginary scenarios that have surely never happened before!

[Theo Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

had to watch fun tiktoks after reading this because I was so shook.
BJJ writes such great dialogue - so much is shared about character, history, tensions - a great study.

[freya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second act of this is especially remarkable, and the stage directions are particularly well-written (that epilogue!). Will definitely be keeping an eye on Jacobs-Jenkins’ other work in the future

[Jessica Hirsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really quite excellent, and I'll be chewing on it for a little while. I found the metaphor of the cicadas to be really interesting, and I'm curious how that would translate on stage.

[Jack Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best play I've ever read. Jaw dropping, seriously. I had goosebumps throughout reading. Can't wait to discuss this in my class and write my paper on it.

[Dayna Cheatham · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first time reading a play.
Wow, I was wrapped into every element of this play.
I hope to see this live one day.

[jb · Rating 5 out of 5]

ohhhhh i need to see this ASAP

[Van Angelo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved how clear and nuanced these characters were in
Such a concise amount of time, I really love the theme of playing with history whether that be personal or surrounding this was a wonderful play

[tabitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kind of brilliant. Branden jacobs-jenkins I respect your game immensely

[Wacik · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

wondering when i’ll log a novel

[Summer]

#newyearshack: finishing 90% of a play right before the end of the year so you can say you finished something on the first day of the new year

would loveeee to see this on stage omg

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for an audition. Shit is fucked!!!!

Update got the part :)

[Jenny Maloney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three adult siblings - Toni, Bo, and Franz - each bring their families and emotional baggage to their deceased father's estate sale. Their daddy owned a Southern plantation - complete with all the history that brings. When the siblings discover a collection of lynching photographs, they are forced to confront the idea that they may never have known the man who raised them. By extension, they may not know or understand one another.

The play itself is very atmospheric. Theatrical designers could have fun with this. A strong scenic designer could do a lot with the faded and cluttered grandeur of this haunted place. Cicadas dominate the soundscape. There are strong lighting directions.

At the end of the day, however, the characters felt so hopeless to me. And I don't mean they seemed incapable of redemption - just that they, as characters, were without hope. Their decay, like that of the house, seems unnecessary. They could repair all of it: the house, their relationships with one another, their interactions with their other relatives/loved ones. If only they would stop digging at one another. That's probably the tragic intent of the piece but, damn, it's very much a downer.

Beautiful.

But a downer.

~Jenny
Place for the Stolen

[Ricki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was twisting and twisted, but really gives you a lot to ponder, especially the various meanings of the title.