Thuli Dumakude and Jonathan Peck. Photo by Julieta Cervantes.

generations (the playwright opts for lower-case), a co-production of the Soho Rep and The Play Company, runs but 30 minutes, but it fills every one of those minutes with the universal rituals of family life that will make you smile at times, fill you with sadness at others, and leave you much to ponder as you consider its implications.

Everything about the production, beautifully directed by Leah C. Gardiner, is designed to immerse the audience in the experience, from the dirt floor, to the spicy odors wafting from the well-used cook stove, to the odds and ends of furnishings and the scattered mismatched chairs where we are invited to sit. Standing and seated among us are the 13 members of a choir of singers who perform South African songs composed, arranged, and directed by Bongi Duma.

The play tells its story through stylized dialog, both poetic and domestic, that is repeated in various permutations and ever-changing tones that reflect the mood of the moment. Much of it uses the imagery of cooking, a source of pride for the women ("I was the cooker who coached the cookless") and a means of teasing for the men, who endlessly debate over who is the better cook and even whether the younger generation can cook at all. ("Why would I cook? Mama cooks what I eat.").

By continually reshaping the performance of these lines, the wonderful cast—headed up by Jonathan Peck as Grandad and Thuli Dumakude as Grandma (whose facial expressions alone reflect a lifetime of experiences)—tells us all we need to know of their joys, their playfulness, their anger, and, ultimately, their overwhelming grief, all of which is underscored by the singing by the very talented choir.

In the end, when it has become increasingly clear what has been happening to this family over a relatively short period of time—when Grandpa speaks of "this thing/this dying thing" that has turned the natural order of life upside down—you may leave the theater a little staggered by the experience, but you will also once again be awed by the amazing ability of dramatic storytelling to fully engage the heart and mind.

generations
Through November 9
Soho Rep., 46 Walker Street, two blocks south of Canal Street between Broadway and Church
Tickets online and current Performance Schedule: ovationtix.com