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Audiences are invited to one helluva family reunion when GableStage presents the Miami premiere of Appropriate by Pulitzer Prize finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. This darkly comic American family drama plays at GableStage’s historic Biltmore Hotel home from Jan. 31 to Feb. 23.
It’s summer in Arkansas and the cicadas are singing. Every estranged member of the Lafayette clan has descended upon the crumbling homestead to settle the accounts of the newly dead patriarch.
As his three adult children sort through a lifetime of hoarded mementos and junk, they collide over clutter, debt, and a contentious family history. But after a disturbing discovery among their father’s possessions, the reunion takes a turn for the explosive, unleashing a series of crackling surprises and confrontations.
Jacobs-Jenkins, a MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient and Fulbright Scholar is considered one of America’s most inventive and profound playwrights. Appropriate received an Obie Award in 2014 and in 2024, a reimagined production, with an updated script and star-studded cast, was awarded the 2024 Tony Award for Best Revival. GableStage produced Jacobs-Jenkins’ Gloria in 2018.
The Miami premiere of Appropriate is directed by GableStage producing artistic director Bari Newport (The Lehman Trilogy) and features an ensemble cast of exceptional actors.
Returning to GableStage are Rachel Burttram (A Doll’s House, Pt. 2) and Mark H. Dold (The Lehman Trilogy). They will be joined by Minneapolis-based Tony Larkin and popular South Florida actors Suzanne Ankrum and Natalie Donahue McMahon, who will be making their GableStage debuts.
The two teenage characters in the production will be played by Brando Lafleur, a junior at Emerson College, and Cecile Etzbach, an eighth grader at Ransom Everglades School. Eigh-year-old Lorenzo Garcia, a student at Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic School, will appear as the youngest member of the Lafayette family.
“We have assembled a dream cast and design team,” Newport said. “We are transforming our historic horse stable theater home into an antebellum Arkansas plantation and look forward to bringing this monumentally raucous dramedy to thrilling life.”
Jessie Wolfson and Dr. Larry Kron are the lead sponsors of the GableStage production of Appropriate. Additional support from Knight Foundation, Rhoda Levitt, Jeff Davis and Michael Miller, Jodi and Paul Tartell, City Of Coral Gables, Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs/Cultural Affairs Council, and Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, are making this production possible.
Performance schedule
Note: the schedule for Appropriate varies from regular weekly run schedules:
• 7:30 p.m. performances will be offered Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
• 2 p.m. matinee performances will be offered on Wednesdays and Sundays.
The performance runs two and a half hours and will play from Jan. 31 to Feb. 23.
Windows on the work
Beginning 30 minutes before every performance, audience members are invited to “open a window on the work” by deep diving into the production at hand. A member of the artistic team leads these pre-show talks in the “cafe” in front of the theatre.
Wine down Fridays
New this season: Pre-show before every Friday performance, Clementine’s Wine Gourmet will offer patrons vino from around the world.
Tickets and discounts
Tickets begin at $40, with special rates for artists, military personnel, and groups of eight or more.
Student/Teacher Rush
Students and teachers may attend any performance free of charge through GableStage’s Student/Teacher Rush. Arrive 45 minutes before showtime and fill any empty seat. Student/teacher ID is required.
Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.GableStage.org or by calling 305-445-1119.
Mosaic Miami
Immediately following the 7:30 p.m. performance on Feb. 7, Mosaic Miami presents a post-show panel moderated by Matt Anderson, executive director, titled “It’s Complicated — A Family Affair.”
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