Everybody (play)
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| Everybody | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Branden Jacobs-Jenkins |
| Date premiered | February 21, 2017 |
| Place premiered | Off-Broadway, Signature Theatre Company |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Morality play, Metatheatre |
Everybody is a play written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. It is a modern adaptation of the 15th-century morality play Everyman, one of the first recorded plays in the English language. The play premiered Off-Broadway at the Irene Diamond Stage at Signature Theatre Company on February 21, 2017, with previews beginning January 31, 2017 and a closing date of March 19, 2017.[1] The play features the unique casting quirk of using a lottery system to define the roles of the play. Each actor must memorize the entire script and be prepared to play any role. This is meant to symbolize the randomness of death. The original production was directed by Lila Neugebauer and featured an ensemble of nine performers.
The story is kept largely the same as Everyman with a few exceptions. Fellowship, Kindred, Goods, Discretion, Five Wits, and Knowledge are renamed Friendship, Kinship, Stuff, Mind, Five Senses, and Understanding respectively. Additionally, the scene where Everyman whips himself for Confession is changed to a scene where they are instructed by the drill sergeant-like character of Love to strip naked and scream "I have no control". Furthermore, instead of Good Deeds following Everyman/Everybody to the grave, that role is filled by Love. The story is also interspersed with pre-recorded voiceover scenes done fully in the dark, depicting four of Everybody's friends comforting them on their deathbed and through a misunderstanding eventually turns into a discussion about racism.
Cast and characters
| Character | Off-Broadway (2017)[2] |
|---|---|
|
|
| Death | Marylouise Burke |
|
Jocelyn Bioh |
| Love | Chris Perfetti |
|
Lilyana Tiare Cornell |