De Erfenis
Tony Award-winning family drama premieres in the Netherlands. A top cast including Wendell Jaspers, Anniek Pheifer, Ali-Ben Horsting, and Thomas Höppener tells the tragicomic story of the dysfunctional Lafayette family, who struggle with hidden secrets and unfulfilled desires.
The Inheritance takes place on a family estate in the American South. Three adult children gather with their families at their deceased father’s home. The household contents must be divided, and the house is being sold. As underlying tensions simmer and old feuds flare up, the children make a disturbing discovery among their father’s possessions that will change their lives forever.
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ language is searing and muscular. The characters are gruesome, violent, and vulnerable all at once. The family problems are harsh and witty. Following successful productions such as The Seagull (2022) and August: Oklahoma (2024), director Michel Sluysmans once again presents a contemporary interpretation of one of the best plays in dramatic literature.
About the author: This piece was written by the award-winning Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, whose work will be on display in the Netherlands for the first time. The piece hilariously depicts the tragic downfall of a white, Western family through the eyes of one of the world’s most celebrated contemporary Black writers. The Lafayette Family symbolizes the unmasking of the Western world.
