Isn’t it amazing the way the future succeeds in creating an appropriate past?
— John Leonard, American critic
Appropriate won Branden Jacobs-Jenkins the 2024 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play on Broadway. The Tony committee chose well. The American dramatist has composed a scorcher, a ferocious dysfunctional family saga that will stagger audiences with its intensity and narrative complexity. The work does make demands on the audience, but the reward is a production that demonstrates writing, acting, and staging at the very highest level. At The Old Globe, director Steve H. Broadnax III has done an incredible job of managing the gifted cast and keeping the sometimes-dense narrative engrossing. If Appropriate is a classic, and I think it is, this production has cemented it as such.
Daniel Petzold as Franz, Maggie Lacey as Toni, and Steve Kazee as Bo
The play’s action takes place in a seedy plantation mansion in modern Arkansas. The three Lafayette siblings are gathering to preside over the estate sale of their recently deceased patriarch father. Older sister Toni (Maggie Lacy) and her younger brothers Bo (Steve Kazee) and Franz (Daniel Dale) don’t like each other. Their sole motive in visiting the decaying mansion is to grab the inheritance money and leave, trailing resentments and hostility behind them.
Brynn Gauthier as River and Serena Parrish as Cassie
The narrative gradually expands with the addition of Franz’s ditsy girlfriend River (Brynn Gauthier), Toni’s teenage son Rhys (Peter Petzold), Bo’s uptight wife Rachel (Sarah Stiles) and their children, young teen Cassie (Serena Parrish) and their son, a child, Ainsley (Christopher Smyres). In various combinations, the adult characters argue, insult, and complain as the sore spots in the family psyche are exposed.
Steve Kazee as Bo, Daniel Petzold as Franz, and Maggie Lacey as Toni
There are undercurrents of how the past affects the present within the Lafayette family. Foremost in its impact is an antique family photo album preserved from the 19th century. The album has a galvanizing effect on the characters who see the the con album contains pictures of lynched Black people. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that these are not just disturbing relics—they include graphic images of lynched Black people, forcing the family to confront their ancestor’s participation in racial violence. This revelation adds a chilling weight to the play’s exploration of inherited trauma, white complicity, and the erasure of historical atrocities.
Christopher Smyres as Ainsley and Sarah Stiles as Rachael
The play runs about 2 hours and 45 minutes, possibly a little long, but I didn’t see or hear any material that merited cutting. The language is fluent and absorbing, and the acting is flawless in its authenticity and urgency. There is much humor throughout the script highlighted by a family free-for-all that is both hilarious and harrowing. The visit finally ends about 24 hours after its turbulent start, and it does not end well. There are no happy endings for the adult Lafayettes, and their family history concludes with haunting images that hold the audience breathless as the stage darkens.
Daniel Petzold as Franz and Daniel Dale as Rhys
The Old Globe’s production is beyond criticism. Along with the impeccable ensemble, a special commendation goes to scenic designer Arnel Sancianco for his brilliant design of the crumbling mansion interior, which serves as a dominating atmospheric character in the play. The shifting moods are further enhanced by Alan C. Edwards‘ lighting and Curtis Craig‘s original music and sound design.
Daniel Dale as Rhys and Maggie Lacey as Toni
Appropriate cements its place as an unflinching examination of America’s dark past and its lingering effects. The Old Globe’s masterful rendition ensures that the play’s powerful message resonates long after the final blackout, leaving the audience with much to contemplate about legacy, accountability, and the ghosts that refuse to be buried.
The cast of Appropriate
photos by Rich Soublet II
poster artwork by Cristina Byvik
Appropriate
The Old Globe
1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park
2 hours 25 minutes with one intermission
ends on February 23, 2025
for tickets ($31 and up), call 619.234.5623 or visit The Old Globe
Brynn Gauthier as River and Daniel Petzold as Franz