GableStage’s 26th season is rolling along with Appropriate, a rollicking family comedy fresh off of Broadway and three 2024 Tony awards, including Best Revival of a Play and Best Actress (Sarah Paulson). The regional production won’t win any Tony’s, but you can bet the Carbonell committee will be keeping an eye on this one.
We highly recommend seeing this play.
Appropriate is intimate yet chaotic, entertaining but cringe. It will have you laughing. It will have you thinking. And it will have you saying to yourself, “Now, that’s entertainment.”
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Appropriate dives into the intricacies of family relationships and the enduring impact of history on the present. At its heart, the play tackles the uncomfortable but necessary conversation about racism, inheritance, and memory. The play also explores secrets and how we all have them. How secrets ripple across families and generations.
The premise is as follows: the Lafayette family come together to deal with their deceased father’s Arkansas plantation home, only to unearth unsettling memorabilia that forces them to confront their own complicity, greed, selfishness and denial.
Appropriate is a powerful reminder that reckoning with history— both personal and collective— is essential for moving forward. Audiences will reflect on their own histories and legacies, making it a thought-provoking work with a lasting impact.
GableStage’s Appropriate is Storytelling at its Best
We see a lot of local theater and GableStage does not cut corners in its storytelling (despite tight budgets in Florida). This play has an eight-member ensemble and they are constantly in motion.
Highlighted performances include Mark H. Dold as Bo, who’s tone and comedic body language are exemplary.
Natalie Donahue McMahon as River also puts in a wonderful performance as the compassionate hippie whom we think is the moral compass of the play. It’s hard to tell if any of the characters are redeemable, but if there is one, it would be River.
The play also has a wonderful script and adept direction, a challenge that Director Bari Newport seems to embrace, even if it is exhausting.
But here’s the best part about seeing a play at GableStage compared to any other regional company in Miami. The sets are absolutely amazing.
The set in a play is essential as it provides context, sets the mood, and enhances storytelling. It immerses the audience in the world of the characters, helping to convey themes and emotions. A well-designed set can elevate the overall production, making the narrative more engaging and impactful.
You will drop your jaw the moment you walk into the theater and see this set!
GableStage did in 2023 with Native Gardens and again last year with the Lehman Trilogy.
The set design team, led by Frank J. Oliva, absolutely outdid themselves with Appropriate.
There is no other house in the area coming anywhere near the set production of GableStage.
The same could be said with the team behind the show’s lighting and visuals, led by designer Tony Galaska.
Storytelling is not just a script and actors. You need a great set, lighting, sound, and costumes to immerse the audience into the fourth wall of the story.
Give Producing Artistic Director Bari Newport all the credit in the world for bringing its audiences all the aspects of a wonderful play.
We only hope the community appreciates it.
After all, it would be the appropriate thing to do.
GableStage’s Appropriate Now Playing
Appropriate is now playing until February 23rd. It’s a short run so don’t miss it.
For more info and tickets click here.
This article was published with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.
