Ito Aghayere and Melanie Nicholls-King                                Photos by Joan Marcus

 

By Michall Jeffers

 

The United States is a nation of immigrants. The tug-of-war between assimilating and keeping tradition alive is indeed Familiar to many Americans.  And what better way could this conflict come to a head than planning a wedding.

 

Marvelous  Chinyaramwira (Tamara Tunie) and her husband, Donald (Harold Surratt), have come a long way since they escaped thirty years ago from their home in war torn Zimbabwe. She’s a biochemist; Donald is a successful lawyer. Their house in a suburb of Minneapolis, circa 2011, is done up in impeccable taste. Scenic Designer Clint Ramos perfectly captures the affluence and the pride that this couple takes in their home. There are cut glass decanters and glasses, lots of mahogany, and many books. Donald attempts to spend a few quiet moments watching the big screen TV, but his reverie of enjoying the sporting event undisturbed is interrupted by his wife. The dynamic seems clear; she is forceful, at times overbearing, and he is long suffering.  As most couples do, they argue and bicker; she takes down his map, he puts it back up in place of her picture.

 

Roslyn Ruff and Joby Earle

 

Their older daughter, Tendi (Roslyn Ruff), a lawyer like her dad, is about to marry Chris (Joby Earle), a “little white boy” who works for human rights in Africa. Not the least of difficulties is that Marvelous and Donald belong to the United Lutheran church, and they consider the Evangelical church where Tendi is to be wed as radical and somewhat ridiculous. Tendi hasn’t asked any of the family to be in the wedding procession; she prefers her church “sisters” to accompany her.

 

Tendi’s real sister, Nyasha (Ito Aghayere) is not thrilled. She’s just returned home from “Zim,” and is steeped in the culture of that country. She’s learned to speak the mother tongue, Shona, just enough to miss having never learned it in her parent’s house.  Nyasha is full of energy, curious, and obviously bright. She and Marvelous clash, as mothers and daughters do.

 

Nyasha is a budding singer/songwriter who teaches feng shui; this lifestyle is far from the existence Marvelous has envisioned.  Nyasha is not the only recipient of scorn from imperious Marvelous, who has no problem dissing her own sister, Margaret (Melanie Nicholls-King). Fortunately, there is plenty of wine to go around, although no one seems to be interested in the fancy hors d’oeuvres on the kitchen table.

 

Myha Lucretia Taylor and Loretta Tamara Tunie

 

In fact, all the family seems to agree on is their love for watching The Game on their big screen TV. The bombshells just keep coming. Nyasha has invited Marvelous’s sister from Zimbabwe, Anne, (Myra Lucretia Taylor), who is there to   perform the traditional Bride Price Ceremony. Chris cannot bid himself, so he contacts his hapless younger brother, Brad (Joe Tippett), to act as his go-between. While this leads to moments which are often comical, director Rebecca Taichman keeps a steady hand, and never lets the play become a farce. When Auntie Anne, a retired nurse, is chided for wanting bounty for herself, she explains the reason behind her seemingly greedy attitude.  “People like me, we cannot survive.” In Zimbabwe, they are not just poor, but deeply mired in poverty.

 

As the play progresses, Brad and Nyasha have an interesting experience together, secrets are revealed, and deeply felt emotions emerge. Donald turns out to not be the compliant husband after all, and there are several possible conclusions left for the audience to choose. Probably the best observation is declared by Chris; “Families…everyone has one.”

 

The cast is uniformly superb, especially the always elegant Tamara Tunie as the conflicted, sometimes acid tongued, matriarch. She lives up to her character’s name, “Marvelous.” Susan Hilferty’s costumes are right on point, especially her African outfit for Auntie Anne.

 

Author Danai Gurira joins Lin-Manuel Miranda in the stratosphere of important playwrights now represented on the New York stage. The Broadway production of her acclaimed Eclipsed, starring Lupita Nyong’o, is not only a hot ticket, but also the first Broadway production with an entirely black female cast, writer, and director.

 

There is no company now working in New York that is more innovative, intelligent, and just plain entertaining than Playwrights Horizons. It’s a pleasure to see such a vibrant group in attractive, congenial surroundings. And, not for nothing, the seats are super comfortable. Theater aficionados can hardly wait for the next offering.  

 

Familiar, Playwrights Horizons, 416 West 42 St.

212-279-4200,  playwrightshorizons.org

Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Author: Danai Gurira  

Director: Rebecca Taichman

Cast: Ito Aghayere, Joby Earle, Melanie Nicholls-King, Roslyn Ruff, Harold Surratt, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Joe Tippett Tamara Tunie.

Technical: scenic design: Clint Ramos, costume design: Susan Hilferty, lighting design: Tyler Micoleau ,  sound design : Darron L West