Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' latest play, "The Comeuppance," currently staged at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, offers a profound exploration of early middle age and mortality. Set in Prince George's County, Maryland, the story revolves around a group of friends reuniting for their 20th high school reunion in 2022.
The play's narrative structure is unique, with Death serving as the narrator and possessing each character in turn. This device allows for a deeper examination of the characters' inner lives and fears. As Death inhabits Emilio, an artist who relocated to Berlin over a decade ago, he reminds the audience of their inevitable encounter: "People have a tendency to see me once and try hard to forget."
The characters, known in their youth as the "multiethnic reject group" or MERG, include Ursula, who stayed behind to care for her grandmother and now struggles with diabetes-related vision loss; Katelyn, a homemaker married to an older man; Paco, a veteran masking his emotional wounds; and Kristina, a doctor and mother of five eager to relive the past.
The play delves into the German concepts of "torschlusspanik" (fear of diminishing opportunities with age) and "schadenfreude" (pleasure derived from others' misfortune), reflecting the characters' complex emotions. These terms encapsulate the mix of nostalgia, regret, and anxiety that permeates the reunion.
Director Morgan Green's production emphasizes the play's spectral atmosphere. The sparse set design by Jian Jung, featuring a lone chair and layers of black fringe curtains, creates a liminal space between life and death. Minjoo Kim's lighting and Jordan McCree's sound design further enhance the unsettling presence of Death throughout the performance.
The cast delivers nuanced performances, capturing both the adult characters and echoes of their teenage selves. This duality allows the audience to glimpse the transformation from youthful potential to adult realities.
"The Comeuppance" contextualizes its characters' experiences within a generation shaped by significant events such as the Columbine shooting, 9/11, prolonged wars, and the recent COVID-19 pandemic. These shared traumas have molded their perspectives on life and death.
"How did I get it into my head that life was supposed to be something other than this?"
This central question resonates throughout the play, challenging audiences to reflect on their own expectations and the inevitable loss of innocence that comes with adulthood.
"The Comeuppance" runs for 2 hours and 10 minutes without intermission at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., until October 6, 2024. The production will then move to the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia from November 19 to December 8, 2024, offering more audiences the opportunity to engage with this thought-provoking work.