←Recommendations of The Man in the Sukkah

A powerful look at trauma and healing as a family tries to find their way through. Well done.

Haunting, image-rich, and theatrical, "The Man in the Sukkah" ties together so many elements--generational and family grief and trauma, faith, the complexities of fostering a child grappling with trauma, and much more--beautifully. As is characteristic of many of her pieces, Yarchun threads through gorgeous, direct, and exquisitely rendered visual metaphors (birds, trees, the language of colors) that amplify the themes and ideas discussed within. The rhythms of tempos of each character are distinct, and I loved the theatricality of the simultaneous scenes. I'd so love to see a production of this!

"The Man in the Sukkah" does a great job in addressing the nuances that come along with having Judaism as a part of your identity, and so much more. The parallels between Elaine and Aviva, and between lives and stories, are compelling. The role that color and colorblindness play in this story is also so interesting, and unlike anything I've ever read or seen before!

There is so much in this play that I love - the begats, the yard-sites, the way Yarchun makes everything very specific and necessary so that nothing at all is extraneous, every line of this play is the whole play. A thrilling and dramatic piece that would be so incredible to light, and then to see!

I'm surprised there isn't as much southern gothic literature that deals with the complexities of southern Judaism, especially when the results are as spellbinding as The Man in the Sukkah. Yarchun masterfully blends a complex family drama with age-old questions of trauma and healing. Her characters are brilliantly rendered and achingly real, and the pace was gripping, but left enough breathing room to appreciate the histories coming to light. Overall, a very moving piece.