Signature Theatre presents the world premiere of MacArthur Fellow Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ The Comeuppance beginning May 17 at the Off-Broadway venue.
Concluding Jacobs-Jenkins’ Premiere Residency—and Signature’s 2022-2023 season of personal works from its Resident writers—The Comeuppance will officially open June 5 and continue through June 25. Eric Ting directs.
The cast includes Brittany Bradford (Bernhardt/Hamlet, Wedding Band) as Ursula, Caleb Eberhardt (Choir Boy, On Sugarland) as Emilio, Susannah Flood (The Cherry Orchard, Plano) as Caitlin, Bobby Moreno (72 Miles to Go, Year of the Rooster) as Francisco, and Shannon Tyo (Regretfully, So The Birds Are; The Far Country) as Maryana.
In The Comeuppance, a self-proclaimed “Multi-Ethnic Reject Group” reconvenes for the first time in years to pregame for their 20th high school reunion. They refamiliarize themselves with new versions of old selves over drinks, other substances, and a not-so-innocent truth-telling game.
Jacobs-Jenkins said in an earlier statement, “For me, Signature has always been about putting the playwright’s specific needs at the center of a production. It is a place where I get to do more than deliver a script: I get to have a rehearsal process that is fulfilling and stimulating and full of discovery. For this play, I wanted a room where it felt like anything could happen. And Eric Ting felt exactly like the right visionary and collaborator.”
The playwright continued, “I started my residency at Signature 10 years ago. I was barely out of graduate school, and if you’d come up to me and described my life now to me then, I’d probably file for a restraining order. I’d think you were crazy. But this is a testament to the unrivaled freedom, confidence, security, and inspiration this institution has brought into my life. This is the culmination of what has been a very significant gift of time, space, and encouragement.”
The production also has set design by Arnulfo Maldonado, costume design by Jennifer Moeller and Miriam Kelleher, lighting design by Amith Chandrashaker, sound design by Palmer Hefferan, magic design by Skylar Fox, intimacy coordination by Ann C. James, and casting by Caparelliotis Casting.
Amanda Nita Luke-Sayed is the production stage manager, Elizabeth Emanuel is the assistant stage manager, and Kat Yen is the associate director.
Jacobs-Jenkins' plays include Girls, Everybody, War, Gloria, Appropriate, An Octoroon, and Neighbors. The Comeuppance, which marks the end of Jacobs-Jenkins’ prolific decade as a Signature Premiere Resident playwright, takes the place of his previously announced Grass.
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