83%

(56 Ratings)

Positive

87%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Thought provoking, Intelligent, Entertaining, A bit dated but moving

About the Show

A struggling Harlem family grapples with dreams, crime, and simmering tensions in the 1950s.

Set in 1950s Harlem, follows Russell Parker, a widowed former vaudeville performer turned idle barber, who spends his days lost in memories while his daughter, Adele, supports the family with her steady job. Meanwhile, his sons, Theo and Bobby, chase risky get-rich-quick schemes through bootlegging and the numbers racket.

As tensions rise between Adele’s mounting frustration and the brothers’ dangerous pursuits, the family’s fragile stability is tested—leading to profound and tragic consequences.

Critic Reviews (5)

"both the play and production have an undeniable dramatic and social potency. It’s as essential as any in the oft-revived midcentury American canon"
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"The entire cast are fantastic at grounding their characters in a specific era of Harlem’s history while also portraying people who could easily be NYC residents today."
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"Clinton Turner Davis’ fine production honors this important and often overlooked classic"
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A rock-solid production that hums along toward inevitable tragedy
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"The Peccadillo Theater and Negro Ensemble Company’s potent revival firmly establishes the play as a missing link between "A Raisin in the Sun" and August Wilson’s ten-part 1982–2005 Century Cycle."
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Cast and creative team

The Peccadillo Theater Company

Producer

Negro Ensemble Company