by debbie tucker green
directed by Leah C. Gardiner composition, arrangement & music direction by Bongi Duma in association with John Adrian Selzer
October 1 2014 - November 23 2014
“I coached her to cook – I did… I was the cooker – she was the cookless – I was the cooker who coached the cookless… I… coached her to (cook)… She was a bad learner.”
You’re invited into a kitchen in a South African township where a fragrant meal is being prepared. As they cook, three generations of a close-knit family banter, share stories and food. Both urgent and exuberant, debbie tucker green’s formally daring play tackles what’s transmitted and lost through generations of a family—and a nation.
generations reunites playwright debbie tucker green and director Leah C. Gardiner following their 2011 Obie award-winning production of born bad and features a 13-person choir led by Bongi Duma (Broadway’s The Lion King).
Top 10 of 2014, Charles Isherwood, The New York Times
The Village Voice
“A celebration and an elegy.”
Time Out New York. Four stars. Critics’ Pick.
“Searing…a devastating aria.”
Flavorpill
“generations needs to be experienced.”
WNYC
“The formal structure transforms the piece from a simple story about one family to an almost-mythic tale about all families. For a show that runs only 30 minutes — for any show, really — it’s a remarkable feat.”
The New Yorker
“generations is not even an hour long, but it is filled with so much warmth and thought that the feeling it imparts lasts a longtime after you’ve left the theatre.”
The New York Times, Critics' Pick
“A singular theatrical experience…aided by a wonderful cast. The play reverberates in your mind and heart long afterward, like the taste of a great meal that you savor for days.”
Top 10 of 2014, Charles Isherwood, The New York Times
The Village Voice
“A celebration and an elegy.”
Time Out New York. Four stars. Critics’ Pick.
“Searing…a devastating aria.”
Flavorpill
“generations needs to be experienced.”
WNYC
“The formal structure transforms the piece from a simple story about one family to an almost-mythic tale about all families. For a show that runs only 30 minutes — for any show, really — it’s a remarkable feat.”
The New Yorker
“generations is not even an hour long, but it is filled with so much warmth and thought that the feeling it imparts lasts a longtime after you’ve left the theatre.”
The New York Times, Critics' Pick
“A singular theatrical experience…aided by a wonderful cast. The play reverberates in your mind and heart long afterward, like the taste of a great meal that you savor for days.”
Top 10 of 2014, Charles Isherwood, The New York Times
The Village Voice
“A celebration and an elegy.”
Time Out New York. Four stars. Critics’ Pick.
“Searing…a devastating aria.”
Flavorpill
“generations needs to be experienced.”
WNYC
“The formal structure transforms the piece from a simple story about one family to an almost-mythic tale about all families. For a show that runs only 30 minutes — for any show, really — it’s a remarkable feat.”
The New Yorker
“generations is not even an hour long, but it is filled with so much warmth and thought that the feeling it imparts lasts a longtime after you’ve left the theatre.”
The New York Times, Critics' Pick
“A singular theatrical experience…aided by a wonderful cast. The play reverberates in your mind and heart long afterward, like the taste of a great meal that you savor for days.”
Top 10 of 2014, Charles Isherwood, The New York Times
