''Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine'' is a play written by

Lynn Nottage Lynn Nottage (born November 2, 1964) is an American playwright whose work often focuses on the experience of working-class people, particularly working-class people who are Black. She has received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice: in 2009 for he ...

Production history

''Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine'' premiered

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

Playwrights Horizons Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. Under the ...

, running from June 3, 2004 (previews) June 13 (official) through July 11. Directed by

Kate Whoriskey Kate Whoriskey (born 1970)
by Misha Berson, Seattle Times, September 4, 2010 is a freelance thea ...

, the cast featured

Charlayne Woodard Charlaine "Charlayne" Woodard (born December 29, 1953) is an American playwright and actress. She is a two-time Obie Award winner as well as a Tony Award and Drama Desk nominee. She was a series regular on the hit FX TV series Pose. She played ...

as Undine. In regional productions, the Center Stage,

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, Maryland production ran from January 28 through March 8, 2009. Directed by Jackson Gay, the cast featured Natalie Venetia Belcon as Undine." Fabulation' Booklet and Listing"
centerstage.org, accessed January 28, 2016 The play received its London premiere at the

Tricycle Theatre The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as ...

in February 2006. Directed by Indhu Rubasingham,

Jenny Jules Jenny Jules is an English actress. She started her acting career as a member of the youth theatre programme at the Tricycle Theatre in Kilburn, London. Her career has been closely linked with the Tricycle Theatre where she has acted numerous tim ...

starred in the role of Undine. A revival of the play began performances at Signature Theatre on November 19, 2018.

Plot

Undine is a successful African-American publicist living in Manhattan. When her husband takes her money, she is forced to return to her former life in Brooklyn, and to deal with her working-class relatives.

Critical response

Ben Brantley Benjamin D. Brantley (born October 26, 1954) is an American theater critic, journalist, editor, publisher and writer. He served as the chief theater critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1996 to 2017, and as co-chief theater critic from 2017 to ...

, reviewing for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', wrote: "But while ''Fabulation'' may follow a much-traveled route to a guaranteed destination, the view along the way is far less predictable. In charting the social fall and moral rise of Undine Barnes Calles, nee Sharona Watkins, ''Fabulation'' subverts its comic and sentimental glibness with punchy social insights and the firecracker snap of unexpected humor." The ''Curtain Up'' reviewer wrote: "Like dithWharton, Nottage casts a satirical eye on the large cast of characters, regardless of class or race. Unlike the more serious Wharton, hehas created a generally hilarious scenario for Undine's nightmarish comeuppance and inevitable redemption as a likeable, lovable, loving member of the human race...The script has other credibility stretching holes—chief of them being her giving Hervé, the sexy Latin husband (Robert Montano) who tangoed his way into her heart and hearth, full access to all her money and becoming romantically involved with Guy, an ex-addict who's served time in jail." The dramaturg for the Center Stage production, Faedra Chatard Carpenter (Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, College Park) noted: "...it not only becomes clear that Lynn Nottage is one of the modern masters of fabulation, but that her Undine story is paradigmatic of the form. Guided by a moral precept, Nottage’s play takes us on an unforgettable and layered journey of an all-too-human protagonist. Moreover, in taking the humor of her work seriously, our fabulous fabulator gives birth to an assortment of characters in a series of spectacular circumstances, gently reminding us all to laugh—and breathe—through the pain."

Awards and nominations

2005

Obie Awards The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

OBIE Awards, 2005
''Village Voice'', accessed May 14, 2009 * Playwrighting - Lynn Nottage

References

External links

Off-Broadway database listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fabulation, Or The Re-Education Of Undine Plays by Lynn Nottage 2004 plays Off-Broadway plays