‘APPROPRIATE’: (Left to right) Michael Esper, Elle Fanning, Natalie Gold, Alyssa Emily Marvin, Corey Stoll & Sarah Paulson. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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APPROPRIATE
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Lila Neugebauer
Through June 23, 2024
Belasco Theatre
111 West 44th Street
https://appropriateplay.com/

 

By David NouNou

What family doesn’t have its ups and downs? The Lafayette family is steeped in it. Three siblings and their families come down to rural Arkansas to settle their deceased father’s dilapidated estate, only to come down and find out and get more than they bargained for. The spelling of “appropriate” has two definitions: one can be what is proper behavior when you come down to settle an estate, the other definition is to take something for your own; like a trust fund or mutual property.

Late at night, Frank (Michael Esper) or Franz as his girlfriend, River (Elle Fanning) has renamed him have just broken into the house that belonged to his father. They arrive a bit early for the estate sale that is going to take place. However, his oldest sibling, Toni (Sarah Paulson) has arrived even earlier with her son, Rhys (Graham Campbell). Toni is in a frenzy due to the fact that Frank hasn’t been in touch with the family for over 10 years or attended the funeral of their dad, but he is here now and why. Middle brother, Bo (Corey Stoll) has also arrived with his wife Rachel (Natalie Gold) and their two children, Cassidy (Alyssa Emily Marvin) and Ainsley (Lincoln Cohen) from D.C.

If you are familiar with Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County you will notice a few similarities. These siblings all have backstories and plenty of baggage and recriminations. The first act is constructed and directed flawlessly. It starts with while packing and putting things away, a photo album is discovered which unleashes a torrent of revelations. Starting with racism, antisemitism, drugs, alcoholism, insults, finger pointing, pedophilia and a little bit of fascination between cousins, this family is toxic. More should not be revealed to the reader who hopefully and ultimately will be a viewer. This show plays like a jigsaw puzzle. Your allegiance to each character keeps shifting throughout the first act. Each time you are steered in one direction, you are quickly jolted into another. That is the purpose of a good show; it keeps the audience engaged and constantly guessing.

Act I ends on a brilliant cliffhanger. Act II begins meandering from the onset. It gets mired in further toxicity about the family and in a lot of cases the action seems contrived and doesn’t flow as easily as it did in Act I. The screwups become repetitious, and this is where playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and director Lila Neugebauer should have collaborated more tightly. They had one of the most brilliant endings in Broadway history about a boy coming down a staircase; instead, they chose to keep trudging along.

Where Ms. Neugebauer does succeed is in her direction of this great ensemble cast, headed by Sarah Paulson. Ms. Paulson’s performance is a tour de force: from her manic entrance, to her emotional breakdown, and her resolution, she thrills throughout. She sets the bar high, and her co-stars Corey Stoll, Michael Esper, Elle Fanning and Natalie Gold are on their toes matching her in riveting performances. The performances of these five actors weave a disturbing tapestry of a dysfunctional family and are compelling throughout the show.

This is one of the season’s must-see shows. The show was set to close on March 3, 2024. It will be on hiatus for about three weeks, and will reopen at the larger Belasco Theatre on March 25, 2024 and run through June 30, 2024.

 

 

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published February 24, 2024
Reviewed at February 22, 2024 press performance.

 

‘APPROPRIATE’: Michael Esper, Corey Stoll & Sarah Paulson. Photo: Joan Marcus.

 

‘APPROPRIATE’: Alyssa Emily Marvin & Elle Fanning. Photo: Joan Marcus.

 

‘APPROPRIATE’: Michael Esper & Elle Fanning. Photo: Joan Marcus.

 

‘APPROPRIATE’: Natalie Gold & Corey Stoll. Photo: Joan Marcus.

 

‘APPROPRIATE’: Sarah Paulson. Photo: Joan Marcus.