Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ stealthy THE COMEUPPANCE keenly dissects mortality and human fragility via friendship

• By drediman
• June 21, 2023
• No Comments

Something must be in the water these days. In recent weeks in my Off-Broadway theatergoing, I’ve encountering an uncommon plethora of new top-notch plays (catch them while you can!) that address what it means to be an American at this current juncture. First there was Roundabout Theatre Company’s production Eboni Booth’s sensitive, soul-searching Primary Trust. Then there was captivatingly maximalist production of Wet Brain by John J. Caswell, Jr. courtesy of Playwrights Horizons. And now we have the world premiere of The Comeuppance, a dark comedy of manners by Pulitzer Prize Finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Gloria, An Octoroon, Appropriate) at Signature Theatre.

Jacobs-Jenkins’ organically written, slow-burning play depicts the fraught 20-year reunion of a group of high school friends. Other than the surreal interjections by none other than death themself – as embodied by each of the play’s characters – the work is told almost completely in real time. As such, the piece manages an uneasy balance between menacing existentialism and intense naturalism. Where the play really distinguishes itself are in its increasingly uncomfortable interactions between its thirty-something characters, who seem to have simultaneously drifted apart and yet not at all. Through their evolving friendship, Jacobs-Jenkins keenly dissects mortality and human fragility.

The world premiere production has been directed by Eric Ting, whose production stealthily navigates the play’s layers (kudos to the deceptively understated work by scenic designer Arnulfo Maldonado, lighting designer Amith Chandrashaker, and sound designer Palmer Hefferan). Most importantly, the director has elicited some nuanced yet sensationally pointed work from his ensemble cast, who brilliantly nail their respective characterizations. The finest work, though, comes from Caleb Eberhardt, whose depiction of a hardened, closed-off artist is the manifestation of they play’s restless, excruciatingly conflicted heart.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

THE COMEUPPANCE
Off-Broadway, Play
Signature Theatre Company
2 hours, 20 minutes (without an intermission)
Through July 9