Happy Birthday Jay, You F*cker. Love, Esau.

by Charles Gershman

In a radio DJ’s queer remix of an ancient parable, Iyla invites her two children over to let them know she’s dying and giving the family business to Esau and not Jay. But Iyla’s wife, Rebecca, has other plans, and helps Jay—who is disabled—obtain a life of possibility. A re-spinning that celebrates the non-normative.

In a radio DJ’s queer remix of an ancient parable, Iyla invites her two children over to let them know she’s dying and giving the family business to Esau and not Jay. But Iyla’s wife, Rebecca, has other plans, and helps Jay—who is disabled—obtain a life of possibility. A re-spinning that celebrates the non-normative.

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Happy Birthday Jay, You F*cker. Love, Esau.

Recommended by

  • The Workshop Theater: Happy Birthday Jay, You F*cker. Love, Esau.

    The Workshop Theater is pleased to recognize Charles Gershman as a playwright selected out of a competitive pool of applicants for our Winter 2021 Writer’s Intensive. The Writer’s Intensive is an eight-week long, playwright-driven process geared towards revising an existing play. Happy Birthday, Jacob… engages an audience on so many levels - the family’s ease with one another is disarming and delightful, the characters are so real you feel like you know them from the first moment onstage, and the play's questioning of what “deserving” means is compelling and urgent. Our congratulations and...

    The Workshop Theater is pleased to recognize Charles Gershman as a playwright selected out of a competitive pool of applicants for our Winter 2021 Writer’s Intensive. The Writer’s Intensive is an eight-week long, playwright-driven process geared towards revising an existing play. Happy Birthday, Jacob… engages an audience on so many levels - the family’s ease with one another is disarming and delightful, the characters are so real you feel like you know them from the first moment onstage, and the play's questioning of what “deserving” means is compelling and urgent. Our congratulations and thanks to Charles.

Character Information

2f, 1m, 2any
  • The DJ
    Character Age
    Any
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Any
  • Jay
    Has a mobility impairment
    Character Age
    30s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Any
  • Esau
    Straight, married, with kids. Jay's fraternal twin.
    Character Age
    30s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Iyla
    Blind or low vision.
    Character Age
    60s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • Rebecca
    "Momma." Married to Iyla ("Mother").
    Character Age
    60s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization American Playwriting Foundation, Year 2020