APPROPRIATE Previews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/28/23 at 12:00am

Sarah Paulson returns to Broadway in the new play Appropriate, beginning previews tomorrow night (November 29) at the Helen Hayes Theatre, before a December 18 opening. Joining her are Elle Fanning (in her Broadway debut), Corey Stoll, Graham Campbell, Lincoln Cohen, Michael Esper, Natalie Gold, Alyssa Emily Marvin, and Everett Sobers. Appropriate — written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Lila Neugebauer — plays a limited run through February 11.

“It’s summer, the cicadas are singing, and the Lafayette family has returned to their late patriarch’s Arkansas home to deal with the remains of his estate. Toni, the eldest daughter, hopes they’ll spend the weekend remembering and reconnecting over their beloved father. Bo, her brother, wants to recoup some of the funds he spent caring for Dad at the end of his life. But things take a turn when their estranged brother, Franz, appears late one night, and mysterious objects are discovered among the clutter. Suddenly, long-hidden secrets and buried resentments can’t be contained, and the family is forced to face the ghosts of their past.”

Who’s going?

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 11/28/23 at 12:58am

I can not WAIT to watch older white audiences lose their minds over this play

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 11/29/23 at 8:11am

Purposely haven't read reviews from the Off-Broadway production but super curious about this.  Break a leg tonight

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/30/23 at 12:42pm

Did anyone see this last night?

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 11/30/23 at 2:40pm

I saw a semi-professional production of this play a few years ago and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to hearing reports from this production.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 11/30/23 at 5:57pm

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "I can not WAIT to watch older white audiences lose their minds over this play"

As a middle-aged white guy I'll do my best to not disappoint you. 

[raddersons]

Posted: 11/30/23 at 11:30pm

Brought this play with me to read on vacation after seeing Signature’s fab The Comeuppance this past summer. Read two pages, and my friend said “Oh isn’t that about to go to Broadway?” And immediately put it down knowing I’d see it in person.

Love me some BJJ. Can’t wait for this. 

[Dan6]

Posted: 12/2/23 at 2:49pm

Has anyone seen this? Previews started on Wednesday and I’m eagerly awaiting reactions from the reliable usual suspects. 

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 12/2/23 at 2:53pm

Dan6 said: "Has anyone seen this? Previews started on Wednesday and I’m eagerly awaiting reactions from the reliable usual suspects."

There are a few reports on Show-Score, trending extremely positive.

[whatever2]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 11:36am

Saw the first preview last Wednesday. Second act dragged a bit -- tbf, it was just the first preview, but my sense is it's the text that drags, not the pacing. anyway, i'm burying the lede; it's a very clever play, ferociously acted. i'll be v surprised if it's not a critic's pick when it opens. highly recommended.

[dan94]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 11:07pm

I saw this in previews this week. Paulson is terrific. It also mostly did not feel like an early preview.

I thought the text and pacing are fine. The problem is it's a 3 act play and they removed one of the intermissions. It's (as of now) only a few mins short of 3 hours long and yet the only intermission is after a 55min Act One. They need to put the second intermission back in the show. It is too much information at once and Act Two is not able to fully make an impact because we head straight into Act Three. The mind starts to wander after too long.

[Fordham2015]

Posted: 12/4/23 at 12:03pm

Extended through March 3, per 2ST on social

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 12/4/23 at 12:25pm

Thought this was outstanding overall, and am very excited to go back later in the run. It's sort of a demented parody of Foote's Dividing the Estate or Letts' August: Osage County, with BJJ's typical snarling nastiness upping the stakes to truly absurd degrees of cruelty. There's almost a Real Housewives or Jerry Springer quality to the amount of debasement we have to watch these characters go through: it's both delicious and genuinely upsetting.

The second act is a long sit, but I think the way the payoff happens is satisfying and I was never bored. There is no actual act 3 in the play, for the record, only additional scenes in act 2. Definitely expect this in heavy competition come awards season, particularly for Paulson and Natalie Gold. The set is excellent, and the whole production feels higher budget than most of the 2nd Stage offerings we've had at the Hayes.

Updated On: 12/4/23 at 12:25 PM

[the.hard.part]

Posted: 12/9/23 at 11:39pm

For anyone who has seen it in the past few days about how long is the show running now? Has it tightened past the 2:55 mentioned earlier?

[desperateAndee]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 2:13pm

Ticket sold.

Updated On: 12/10/23 at 02:13 PM

[Robbie2]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 2:51pm

Best play so far this season similar style to August Osage County. Paulson is terrific!!!

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 5:03pm

For anyone who has seen it in the past few days about how long is the show running now? Has it tightened past the 2:55 mentioned earlier?

Yes.  Tuesday show started at 7:05.  Was walking out by 9:45.   1 intermission.  Act 2  (Acts 2  & 3) longer than 1st.   The second act drags until last 30 minutes.

Don't sit on left side of the theater.  Director/designers lack of forethought have created viewing issues of set/actors.. Sit center/right or right to see whole set and action.

Show has too many endings.  Director hasn't figured out how to present & time last 3 minutes of the show well yet.  

Updated On: 12/10/23 at 05:03 PM

[steve.sometime]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 5:56pm

Today's matinee ended at around 4:40pm.

Best play I've seen in this season! While I agree that twice I thought the show was ending but then it kept on going, the actual ending was pretty cool!

Updated On: 12/10/23 at 05:56 PM

[invisiblegirl]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 6:15pm

CoffeeBreak said: "Don't sit on left side of the theater. Director/designers lack of forethought have created viewing issues of set/actors.. Sit center/right or right to see whole set and action."

Good to know! Would you recommend orchestra or mezzanine?

[Robbie2]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 6:56pm

invisiblegirl said: "CoffeeBreak said: "Don't sit on left side of the theater. Director/designers lack of forethought have created viewing issues of set/actors.. Sit center/right or right to see whole set and action."

Good to know! Would you recommend orchestra or mezzanine?"

We always prefer the mezz and sat mezz b 107-108 for this dead center and it was perfect view at this intimate theater

Updated On: 12/10/23 at 06:56 PM

[DCDrama2]

Posted: 12/11/23 at 9:34pm

Saw it last night. Runtime was about 2:40. Really powerful performances here from the whole cast. Sarah Paulson and Corey Stoll absolutely deserve nominations. I'd love to see Natalie Gold snag a nom too as she brings some FIRE. And I expect Alyssa Emily Marvin to be a strong leading actress in a few years as well.

As a whole, the show is richly layered and I imagine will land differently depending on one's perspective, age, and background. It could have easily become a heavy-handed "woke" show but instead allows the characters to interact organically while addressing the issues within the show. It allows the audience to discuss the issues of the show with one another using the content as a starting point and not the conclusion.

If you're a fan of high-caliber human drama then this is a must-see.

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 12/16/23 at 11:35am

I saw Appropriate on Broadway last night. I went mostly because I love this cast (particularly Elle Fanning) and wanted to see them onstage.

The good: the acting is amazing across the board. Sarah Paulson is everything you'd expect her to be as Toni -- angry, neurotic, bitter. I also LOVED Elle Fanning as the hippy dippy River and Corey Stoll as Bo. But everyone was great across the board, down to the wonderful child actors they had playing Bo and Rachel (Natalie Gold) children. I also loved the set and costumes.

BUT ... I didn't actually like the play. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' play has moments of heart and humor, and I enjoyed the discussions of family and legacy and whatnot, but the play went on for WAY too long with no real payout. The character of Rachel was extremely annoying, and even Natalie Gold couldn't save her. Certain themes (like Rhys's legal problems) were introduced but never developed. Also, I don't know how else to say it, but this play sounded at times like a black man's fanfic about white guilt. Things were just too ... on the nose. It didn't seem organic. So definitely a very well-cast production, but I'm not sure I'd run back to see this again.

The stage door was very crowded, afaik every actor came out. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 12/16/23 at 7:06pm

Too on the nose because it’s true?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/17/23 at 10:24pm

Saw this tonight and don’t think i could have possibly enjoyed it any more than I did. As noted above it is reminiscent of “August” but in the best possible way. At 2:40 I groaned a bit at the run time but the entire thing flew by more than some 80 minute shows I’ve seen. Hilarious, touching and thought provoking, I’ll have to think on this but it might be my #1 favorite play of 2023. 

[MrJNLong]

Posted: 12/18/23 at 1:08am

Strange question:

So how do you pronounce the title of this play?

With a long a sound in the last syllable, like the verb? As in "Please do not appropriate my culture."

Or like the adjective? As in "That is not an appropriate outfit for this occasion."

Every time I go to say the title of this play out loud, I stumble and second guess myself...