Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' Appropriate at NRACT Is
a Highly Entertaining and Engaging Thought Piece

"The past is never dead. It's not even past. All of us labor in webs spun long before we were born, webs of heredity and environment, of desire and consequence, of history and eternity." -- William Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun

The North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre's current production of Appropriate is a highly entertaining and engaging thought piece. Director Jeri Lynn Schulke has coaxed top-notch performances out of a troupe of highly talented actors; and they work together to keep the action flowing, the material enlightening, and the often-witty dialogue entertaining.

The genius of playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is immediately apparent in his choice of title for this 2013 Actors Theatre of Louisville, 2014 Off-Broadway, and 2023 Broadway play. He has slyly taken advantage of the slipperiness and the multiple meanings of the word "appropriate."

As an adjective, appropriate means "especially suitable," "compatible," or "fitting." As a verb, it means "to take exclusive possession of," "to set apart for or assign to a particular purpose or use," or "to take or make use of without authority or right."

With the multiple meanings of the one-word title in mind, I was prepared to question whether the intentions and actions of the Lafayette siblings would be appropriate when they all arrive and proceed to appropriate the estate of their recently deceased father. Each of the siblings feels his or her own special right to make claims on the residual wealth and artifacts. But how will they react to some of the "baggage" hidden in their heritage? Specifically, how will the shocking contents of a photo album and of a certain cardboard box impact their sense of self, their attitudes, and their actions?

Side Note: As is often the case, as I "sat in judgment" of the characters and situations in the play, I could not help but wonder how the play's "messages" would reflect on me, on my world, and on the world as a whole.

The Play:

When the curtain rises, it's summer; and the action takes place in the cluttered living room of a once-splendid house on the family's Arkansas plantation. We soon learn that there are two cemeteries near the house -- one with the graves of the family's ancestors and one with slaves buried in unmarked graves.

Be prepared for suggestions of hauntings and of supernatural forces at work.

It's six months after their father's funeral, and Toni, Bo, and Franz Lafayette will be gathering at the remains of the family's once-proud plantation to settle the estate. Their father had become a hoarder; and with an auction and an estate sale coming up, they have their work cut out for them.

The youngest sibling, Franz, has been out of touch for several years; and the others had no idea that he and River (his fiancé) would come. Fittingly, they arrive late at night and enter the pitch-dark house by climbing through a window.

Toni (the oldest sibling) and Rhys (her son who is in his late teens) had been the first to arrive and had been fast asleep.

Bo, Rachael (his wife), and their two children (Cassidy and Ainsley) burst upon the scene the next morning

Is anybody glad to see anybody else at this family reunion?

Let the record state that memories and grudges surface and collide, and that rivalries (old and new) crop up.

The result is, these adults are almost immediately at each other's throats. They all have secrets; and one-by-one, the skeletons in their closets come out and wreak havoc as issues that have been buried as deep as the bodies in the graveyard come out to haunt them.

Racism, anti-Semitism, sexual misbehavior, selfishness, and greed -- past and present -- are all factors in the ensuing melee. Family pride and loyalty (and lack thereof) stir in to season the mix and to complicate everything.

How will they all process the new information about their family, their patriarch, and their heritage?

Where will this all end?

And who will ultimately possess (and profit from) the "spoils" of these "wars"?

Be prepared for a bushel basket full of surprises as the play approaches its end.

The Acting:

Every one of the eight characters is intriguing in his or her own way. They are all "complex," and they exhibit multiple "complexes." The chemistry is exemplary, and their timing is impeccable.

Edith Snow creates a Toni that borders on being one that we would "love to hate," but Snow manages to keep her sympathetic -- to a degree. Toni is divorced, and her relationship with her son is quite strained. She is fiercely defensive and quick to find fault with each of the others. Snow skillfully navigates her character's beat-to-beat transitions.

Matthew Kinney deftly takes Bo beyond the easily identifiable successful upper-middle-class type. Despite everything that Bo has previously said, Kinney's performance makes sure that revelations of Bo's dirty laundry is never surprising.

Kevin Collins establishes each element of Franz's rather sordid past (along with his current attempts at being a new man) believable "parts" of the character's "whole."

Betsy Henderson's Rachael knows that she is a round peg in a square hole, but we have no doubt that she is trying to take charge and make the best of it.

Bridget Patterson's River is as New Age as we could ask for. And Patterson makes sure that she earns the title: "one of those sweet girls" -- the jab that Snow's Toni sarcastically throws at her.

Xenon Winslow is delightful as Rhys. Winslow and Snow play the rocky mother-son dynamic to the hilt, and Winslow has nailed the rebel-[who might have]-a-cause posture. Watch for Winslow to make a facial expression that is priceless when Rhys is sent out to get something from a car.

Havana Blum hits the 13-year-old Cassidy on-the-head. There is no question about her attitudes toward the situations that arise and toward the others involved. And, one has to wonder, how does Blum manage to make her mouth move as fast as Cassidy's does when she is excited?

Julian Fisch makes a cute "hundred-mile-an-hour" Ainsley. Fisch is right on the mark each time that his character is an iconic part of a scene.

The Tech:

The room created by scenic/set designer Michael Anderson is guaranteed to evoke déjà vu for anyone who has ever stepped into a 200-year-old once-grand room that has fallen into disarray. The angle reinforces the illusion that we are actually in the room, just out of reach of the characters that we meet.

Lighting designer Leik Johnson sets the moods and navigates the transitions from "normal" to "eerie and/or ominous" as the action moves forward and the stakes rise.

Costume designer Erin M. West has supplied the characters with character-specific and scene-appropriate clothing.

Juan Isler adds his sound designer wizardry.

Callie Hammond and Devra Thomas team up to supply the necessary props.

Stage management is handled by Shereatha Terry, with an assist from Mark Robinson.

Nice Touches:

• The old-fashioned chandelier that hangs above everything, center-stage.
• The "songs" of the cicadas.
• Rhys' entrance in the initial scene.
• The accessories included in River's costume and hair design.

Memorable Lines:

• "I thought more Gone with the Wind and less -- hoarding."
• "And I forgot my sage!"
• "You look like a dude, dude!"
• "She thinks anything south of Brooklyn is a trailer park."
• "What are you now? The apology police?"
• "I feel safer with candle light."
• "I know that your lawyer parents did not name you 'River.'"
• "'I'm sorry' is the oldest ritual we have."
• "You're one of those 'sweet girls,' aren't you?"
• "I'm almost an adult."
• "You might need each other some day for, like, a kidney or something."

From the Department of Picky-Picky:

I was impressed with the cicada "singing," but I found one aspect of it somewhat distracting. It was a nice touch that the singing seemed to begin abruptly when Franz opened the window; however, when the singing stopped abruptly with the window still open, I had a "wait-a-minute" moment that briefly disrupted my concentration on the action. Thereafter, I found myself searching for cause-and-effect (beyond the metaphorical) each time the cicadas became part of the action.

The Bottom Line:

Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' script is brilliant.

Director Jeri Lynn Schulke's direction borders on divinely inspired.

The cast works (and plays) well together to deliver poignant moments, laced with wit and humor.

And all of this is supported and complemented by a superb production staff.

If you like being entertained, amused, intrigued, inspired, and impressed by a sublime collaborative work of art, drop everything now, and look for an opening in your calendar between now and Sunday, Feb. 9th. Make time to catch this gem of a show!

Final Note: The 2014 Off-Broadway production earned an Obie Award for one of the actors, but it was the 2023 Broadway Revival that garnered multiple nominations and awards from a variety of sources: Tony®, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle, and Broadway.com Audience Choice.

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' APPROPRIATE (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31-Feb. 2 and Feb. 7-9), directed by Jeri Lynn Schulke and starring Edith Snow as Antoinette "Toni" Lafayette, Kevin Collins as Franz Lafayette, Bridget Patterson as River Rayner, Xenon Winslow as Rhys Thurston, Betsy Henderson as Rachael Kramer-Lafayette, Julian Fisch as Ainsley Kramer-Lafayette, Matthew Kinney as Beauregard "Bo" Lafayette, and Havana Blum as Cassidy Kramer-Lafayette (North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre in Raleigh). PRESENTER/VENUE: https://www.nract.org/, http://www.facebook.com/NRACT, http://instagram.com/nract_raleigh, https://twitter.com/NRACT_raleigh, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2ifc8evvO-kGDgGFXq3Fww. 2023-24 SEASON: https://www.nract.org/shows. DIRECTIONS: https://www.google.com/maps/. ACCESSIBILITY: https://www.nract.org/accessibility. APPROPRIATE (2013 Actors Theatre of Louisville, 2014 Off-Broadway, and 2023 Broadway Drama): https://appropriateplay.com/, https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=5011, http://www.iobdb.com/Production/5764, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/appropriate-537558, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appropriate_(play). THE SCRIPT (excerpts): https://books.google.com/books. BRANDEN JACOBS-JENKINS (Washington, DC-born playwright and screenwriter and MacArthur Fellow): http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/43969, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/branden-jacobs-jenkins-507016, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7637702/, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Branden-Jacobs-Jenkins, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branden_Jacobs-Jenkins. TICKETS: $23.31 ($21.45 students and teachers, seniors, and active-duty military personnel), plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-866-0228 or ops@nract.com. PLEASE DONATE TO: North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre.

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