Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

Once upon a time, as I remember, playwrights wrote plays about American kin before the term "dysfunctional family" became part of the general lexicon. It's not that the relations in those dramas-some by great ones such as Tennessee Williams, Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller-could be considered normal. (What family is“) But those characters would evoke respect, sympathy and often disdain without having been physically abused by their parents or molested by a stranger or a priest.

Suzanne Lee has fashioned such an American family, flavored with Korean custom and tradition, in "Worth," and it can be appreciated at Urban Stages as a production of Genesius Theater Group, whose new mission statement promises to "bring to the stage the work of the most talented writers NYC has never seen."

In this entertaining and engaging intermissionless drama, Korean-born American businessman Edward Lee and his 18-year-old, second generation, college-bound daughter Joanna have recently lost their beloved wife and mother, but the father-daughter relationship appears to continue to be loving and strong. Nevertheless, complications ensue as dad loses his job due to a corporate scandal, resulting in a deficiency of funds for the mortgage and Joanna's thirty thousand dollar Ivy League tuition. Enter Sunny Pak, a wealthy widow-willing to share-who claims to have gone to school in Korea with Edward's wife. She wins his affection easily, but has a more difficult time gaining Joanna's.

A good deal of the humor of the evening is generated by Grace, our young heroine's schoolgirl friend, now a hip-hop talking Asian stripper who has attained immediate financial security by displaying her assets and telling men things they want to hear. Joanna quickly recognizes a job opportunity to help pay her tuition bill and joins her friend as an "exotic dancer." Mendacity begins to play his part. The resolution comes not without evoking feelings of sympathy and a certain degree of consolation.

The attractive and versatile scenic design by Lee Savage is just one element in this fine production, seamlessly directed by Marc Parees. Appropriate (and sometimes revealing) costumes have been designed by Erin Chainani. Josh Bradford's lighting design and Matthew O'Hare original music are also first-rate.

The six cast members are excellent, and particularly outstanding in investing their personas with dignity and humanity are Hanna Moon (Joanna), Ben Wang (Edward), Constance Boardman (Sunny) and Jenn Pae (Grace). After I left the theater, I wondered how their characters might be doing tomorrow and in the future. I was also glad that playwright Suzanne Lee is having the opportunity to have her voice heard and her play enjoyed.