With a sterling cast delivering razor sharp dialogue and creating a compelling plot that unfolds on a memorable set, a wonderful evening of live theater is currently an offer at The Old Globe.
Three siblings gather at their deceased father’s decaying plantation home in Arkansas on the eve of selling off the contents and the house itself. The family dynamics develop as the older son is seen as a leader, but who from a distance is able to only provide support with his checkbook.
(from left) Steve Kazee as Bo, Daniel Petzold as Franz, and Maggie Lacey as Toni in Appropriate, 2025. Photo by Jim Cox.
The youngest is a son who hasn’t been seen or heard from in a long time, has now returned apparently to make amends, but with possible ulterior motives. The eldest child is the sister, who has been the executor and caretaker of both the ailing father in his last decade and the miscreant younger brother.
The play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is built on crisp dialogue and characters that are completely believable, especially Maggie Lacey as the sister. Punctuated by bursts of humor, the incisive verbal sparring keeps you on the edge of your seat. Is the play’s title a verb or an adjective? It is uncertain, but clever indeed.
The cast of Appropriate, 2025. Photo by Jim Cox.
The first act is one of the better I’ve seen in many many months. The plot certainly thickens in the second act, and soon various otherwise disparate threads are tied together. Complicated and intertwined issues of family history, embedded racism and sibling rivalry are explored from various angles. The actors portraying each of the three children are outstanding, but repeated kudos go to Lacey. Her final disquisition, late in the second act is stirring. She describes holding each brother as babies, but now there’s no one alive who held her as a baby.
Superbly playing the brothers are Daniel Petzold as Franz and Steve Kazee as Bo.
Doing an excellent job of maintaining the tension and pace (the play’s 2.5 hour run time flew by) is director Steve H. Broadnax III. His prior directorial efforts met with great acclaim (Thoughts of a Colored Man on Broadway, 2021 Pulitzer Prize premiere The Hot Wing King among many others) and here we see why.
By the end of the evening, it is apparent the interior of the familial house is a character unto itself. That is the results of astute scenic design by Arnel Sancianco.
If productions like The Humans, August: Osage County or A Streetcar Named Desire resonate, put Appropriate on your list. If you’ve only heard about how great those other productions are, also add this play to your list.
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