James Ijames' "Wilderness Generation"
James Ijames' "Wilderness Generation"
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/2/13
James Ijames' "Wilderness Generation"#1
Posted: 5/22/26 at 9:35am
Curious if anyone went to Philadelphia to see the recent premiere of Jsmes Ijames' newest play "Wilderness Generation?"
It will have a second run in November at Washington DC's Studio Theatre while I am on the East Coast. I'm thinking of changing my plans to spend a few days of my trip in DC again this year because the Wash. National Opera announced last week that during the same week they will put on "Nixon in China" with Renée Fleming & Thomas Hampson. There will be three performances of this John Adam's opera at the DAR Constitution Hall.
80's indie bandThey Might be Giants also have 4 concerts over the same dates, so it seems a bit kismet.
James Ijames' "Wilderness Generation"#2
Posted: 5/22/26 at 1:19pm
Found this extremely generic and didn’t laugh once…left at intermission. I was pretty shocked that this was a play from the same writer of Fat Ham.
That said, Renee and Thomas in Nixon in China would be worth the trip to DC alone.
Broadway Star Joined: 6/3/18
James Ijames' "Wilderness Generation"#3
Posted: 5/22/26 at 1:35pm
Play Esq. said: "Found this extremely generic and didn’t laugh once…left at intermission. I was pretty shocked that this was a play from the same writer of Fat Ham.
That said, Renee and Thomas in Nixon in China would be worth the trip to DC alone."
i'm sure to be in the minority, but i was really not impressed by Fat Ham at all. I found it very "generic" in the sense that it's just another "find your true self" story - with some sugar coated cover - it's just like a paper published with not much innovation but adding few variables to previous research
James Ijames' "Wilderness Generation"#4
Posted: 5/22/26 at 2:12pm
I’m in Philly, and the local response was pretty tepid. The TheaterMania review linked below is spot on.
https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-good-bones-but-a-shaky-foundation-in-james-ijamess-wilderness-generation_1833156/
James Ijames' "Wilderness Generation"#5
Posted: 5/22/26 at 2:56pm
Everything I've seen written by him has felt generic. Not at all bad. Fat Ham, especially, is a marvelous showcase for talented actors... there's some great parts in a few of his other shows. But. Most of what he's written feel like great ideas or concepts that are executed blandly and without surprise.
I know he directs and I'd love to see him bring his ideas to texts written by others. His ideas, to me, are often really exciting.
James Ijames' "Wilderness Generation"#6
Posted: 5/22/26 at 5:07pm
The director of Fat Ham at the Public and on Broadway, Saheem Ali, did really outstanding work in having the show feel bigger than just a story of the characters on stage; it felt like a story about all of us. The thrust staging at the Public, where the actors were at the same level as the first row of the audience, helped. For me, the ending
wasn't a celebration of Larry; it was a celebration for all of us and a reminder that, like the characters, we have a choice. We could accept the expectation that "we tragic," as Juicy put it. Or we could choose a different path, one of celebration and joy. And we, as a collective audience, are choosing joy, with disco music and outrageous costumes and confetti and community.
(I will add that Biden was President at the time of Fat Ham's run at the Public and on Broadway; I think this ending would not work in the same way if the show were put on today.)
I saw Fat Ham as directed by someone else, and it didn't feel nearly as resonant and universal. That being said, I'm not saying that Fat Ham won the Pulitzer because of Saheem Ali's direction; the show did not premiere at the Public until after the Pulitzer had been awarded. Because of the COVID pandemic, Fat Ham is probably the only play to have won the Pulitzer without ever having had a live performance.
James Ijames' "Wilderness Generation"#7
Posted: 5/23/26 at 9:40am
James undeniably has talent as a writer, but I don’t think it’s been nurtured properly. He’s someone who had a lot of early success in Philly, and after he won the Pulitzer, he (understandably) grabbed hold of a lot of opportunities and churned out a lot of plays, most of them mediocre. Good Bones was virtually unwatchable, and Wilderness Generation felt undercooked and tentative, trying to do too many things at one. TJ Loves Sally Forever was a smart idea that wasn’t well executed. Fat Ham has its moments, but I don’t think it will be remembered as one of the most auspicious Pulitzer winners of all time. As someone who lives in Philly and has seen most of James’s plays in their creator productions, I still think Kill Move Paradise is his most accomplished work and deserves a wider audience. Miz Martha Washington is so derivative of Suzan-Lori Parks and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, as the Wilma’s recent production made clear.
James started out as an actor and is a really good one - I wish he’d balance his writing and directing careers with a return to the stage every once in a while. His directing credits in Philly has been pretty hit or miss too.
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