''Madea's Family Reunion'' is an 2002 American stage

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

written, directed and produced by

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmmak ...

. It stars

Madea Mabel "Madea" Earlene Simmons (née Baker/Murphy) is a character created and portrayed by Tyler Perry. She is portrayed as a tough, street-smart elderly African-American woman. Madea is based on Perry's mother and his aunt. In Perry's own words ...

D'Atra Hicks D'Atra Hicks (born Deitra Cherelle Hicks; December 27, 1967) is an American actress and singer. Hicks is best known for her role as Jackie Simmons in Tyler Perry's 2002 stage play ''Madea's Family Reunion''. Hicks has also performed as Nurse Tru ...

as Jackie, David Mann as Mr. Brown, and

Tamela Mann Tamela Jean Mann (née Johnson; born June 9, 1966) is an American gospel singer, songwriter, and actress. Mann began her career as a singer with the gospel group Kirk Franklin and the Family. She was a featured soloist on several tracks while wit ...

as Cora. The live performance released on VHS and

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

was recorded live in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

at the Saenger Theatre in January 2002.

Synopsis

The Simmons family has a funeral, a wedding, and a family reunion all in the same weekend, and it is up to no-nonsense matriarch Madea to keep things in order. Just as the southern matriarch Madea buries her younger sister, Irene, her granddaughter Lisa is marrying a successful, rich man named Ronnie at the house. But Lisa's fiancé is secretly beating her, and Lisa's ex-boyfriend and first love, A.J., Madea's mechanic, is going to do something about it. While Lisa is trying to cover up her bruises, her sister Tina is getting into more trouble: neglecting her baby, trying to seduce her cousin Jackie's husband Kevin, and stealing money for drugs from her mother, Cora. Madea's granddaughter Jackie and her ex-con unemployed husband Kevin live with Madea, and Jackie finds out she is pregnant and might have a

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion and pregnancy loss, is the death of an embryo or fetus before it is able to survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks of gestation is defined by ESHRE as biochemical lo ...

. When she goes to tell Kevin the news, she finds her cousin Tina trying to seduce him. Although she's upset with him, Jackie urges Kevin to get a job for the sake of their child. Meanwhile, Madea's know-it-all niece Victoria is being romantically pursued by her minister. Later, Tina and Lisa tearfully reveal to Cora that when they were kids, their father sexually abused them, and Cora reflects that it will take days of praying to get over this bombshell. Madea must endure the craziness of neighbor Leroy Brown and of the dysfunctional relatives all staying under her roof for the weekend. During the family reunion, Lisa tells everyone that Ronnie has been hitting her. On the wedding day, Lisa decides to marry her first love, A.J.

Shows

Cast

as Jackie *

as Cora * David Mann as Mr. Brown *Isaac Caree as Reverend Johnny Lewis **Quan Howell (filmed version) *Pebbles Johnson as Vickie *Sonya Evans as Lisa *

Gary Jenkins Gary "Lil G" Jenkins is an American musician. He is the lead singer of the R&B group Silk. Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, he is the youngest of seven children. Musical career Gary began singing in church at the age of seven, which e ...

as A.J. *Zakiya Williams as Tina *Terry Phillips as Kevin *Mike Storm as Ronnie * Regina McCrary as Mattie *James Tittle IV as Brian *Kim Easterling as Aquaneesha

The Band

* Elvin Ross - Musical Director * Mike Frazier - Bass * Eric Morgan - Drums * John Forbes - Keyboards * Jim Gorst - Sound * David Sears - Sound

Musical numbers

''All songs written and/or produced by

and Elvin D. Ross.'' *"I Miss My Old Friend" – Cora *"Old Time Mix ''(consists of Jesus Will Fix It, On the Battlefield, Trouble in My Way, and Have You Tried Jesus?)''" - Reverend Johnny, Mattie, Cora, and Brown *"It Ain't Over" – A.J. *"How Much Can One Heart Take?" – Jackie *"Open My Heart" – Vickie *"Marriage Can Be Love" – Reverend Johnny *"I Can Say I'm Sorry" – Kevin and Jackie *"A Family That Prays Together" – Company {{Tyler Perry Plays by Tyler Perry 2002 plays American plays adapted into films Southern United States in fiction Plays set in the United States African-American plays Plays about families