Bad Kreyòl
by Dominique Morisseau

Name: Bad Kreyòl
Brand: Dominique Morisseau
SKU: 9780573712111

Off-Broadway

Highlights

Female

Male

120 mins Present Day Role(s) for Black Actor(s) Ensemble Cast Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes Comedy

Synopsis

A beautiful play about interrogating cultural identity and global impact.

Simone, first-generation Haitian American, and her cousin Gigi, Haitian-born and raised, reunite to honor their grandmother’s dying wish for them to reconnect.

Simone’s pilgrimage back to her ancestral homeland forces both cousins to confront their differing world views.

“To love another person is to learn their language.”

– Dominique Morisseau

Press Reviews

"Critic’s Pick! “Morisseau is incredibly skilled at weaving her ideas into compelling human dramas, and Bad Kreyòl finds the writer at her funniest, operating in the digestible vacation comedy genre."
— The New York Times

"What Morisseau’s surprising new play is about: the revision of those master stories we have been told, and that we tell ourselves, about where we come from. The forty-six-year-old playwright has never been so meditative on the possibilities of language, the vessel for story, as she evidently is with this new work."
— The New Yorker

"As plots intersect, Morisseau mines the rich vein that is blurriness between economic self-determination and exploitation and the way that white liberal and Black American economic guilt greases the wheels of paternalism, powering the whole thing."
— Vulture

"Dominique Morisseau looks at her ancestral home and culture to break through cultural misconceptions surrounding Haiti. Though the play centers on Simone’s detachment from her Haitian roots, the play dismantles America’s savior complex with the country and debunks stereotypes without sugarcoating reality."
— TheaterMania

"Bad Kreyòl beautifully dissects the triumphs and failures of trying to help others and finds glory in the sheer attempt. As Morisseau is quoted in the preshow voice-over, ‘To love a people is to learn their language."
— The New York Times

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
SIMONE [pronounced See-MOAN] – Haitian-American woman, mid-30s, no accent. Free-thinking, smart, social-justice obsessed and a bit wayward. Her heart is in the right place, but she can sometimes miss the mark with her intentions. She is Haitian by blood but very Black American from-the-burbs by culture. She wants to be down for her people but also feels disconnected from them. She is often the butt of other folks’ jokes, especially her cousin GIGI, and as such, has learned how to be neutral and not take herself too seriously. Somewhere deep inside is a broken bird looking for restoration.	female	mid-30s	[pronounced See-MOAN] – Haitian-American woman, mid-30s, no accent. Free-thinking, smart, social-justice obsessed and a bit wayward. Her heart is in the right place, but she can sometimes miss the mark with her intentions. She is Haitian by blood but very Black American from-the-burbs by culture. She wants to be down for her people but also feels disconnected from them. She is often the butt of other folks’ jokes, especially her cousin GIGI, and as such, has learned how to be neutral and not take herself too seriously. Somewhere deep inside is a broken bird looking for restoration.
GIGI [pronounced Zhee-ZHEE] – Haitian woman, late 30s, accent needed. Bourgeoisie, intelligent, proud and bossy. She works in international trading and is often in sheer business mode. She takes herself too seriously and unlike Simone, does not have the ease with which to laugh at herself. She is Haitian-born with American exposure and influence. Her clipped nature can seem rude, but to Gigi, this is just who people are. Somewhere deep inside is a loving bird that refuses to be vulnerable at all costs.	female	30s	[pronounced Zhee-ZHEE] – Haitian woman, late 30s, accent needed. Bourgeoisie, intelligent, proud and bossy. She works in international trading and is often in sheer business mode. She takes herself too seriously and unlike Simone, does not have the ease with which to laugh at herself. She is Haitian-born with American exposure and influence. Her clipped nature can seem rude, but to Gigi, this is just who people are. Somewhere deep inside is a loving bird that refuses to be vulnerable at all costs.
PITA [pronounced Pee-TAH] – Haitian man, mid-30s, accent needed. Vibrant, full of spirit, and easy to love. He identifies with Haiti’s Queer community but is not yet openly a part of it. He loves life and loves Haiti in all its beautiful contradictions and is proud of his upbringing and survival story. He is also the housekeeping help for Gigi, though he would never be reduced to being anyone’s “maid.” In Haiti, this role is far more complicated, and Pita will remind you of that. Somewhere, his revolution is waiting for him.	male	mid-30s	[pronounced Pee-TAH] – Haitian man, mid-30s, accent needed. Vibrant, full of spirit, and easy to love. He identifies with Haiti’s Queer community but is not yet openly a part of it. He loves life and loves Haiti in all its beautiful contradictions and is proud of his upbringing and survival story. He is also the housekeeping help for Gigi, though he would never be reduced to being anyone’s “maid.” In Haiti, this role is far more complicated, and Pita will remind you of that. Somewhere, his revolution is waiting for him.
LOVELIE [pronounced Low-VLEE] – Haitian woman, late 20s/early 30s, accent needed. Quiet, strong, mysterious. She is a former prostitute turned seamstress and is seeking her independence. She is no victim. She is the picture of defiant resilience.	female	20s	[pronounced Low-VLEE] – Haitian woman, late 20s/early 30s, accent needed. Quiet, strong, mysterious. She is a former prostitute turned seamstress and is seeking her independence. She is no victim. She is the picture of defiant resilience.
THOMAS [pronounced Toe-MAS] – Haitian-American man, late 30s/early 40s, accent needed. Affluent, bourgeois and impersonal. He is an international trades businessman and embodies all of the tropes of foreign executive power, a shark nature where self-preservation trumps all.	male	30s	[pronounced Toe-MAS] – Haitian-American man, late 30s/early 40s, accent needed. Affluent, bourgeois and impersonal. He is an international trades businessman and embodies all of the tropes of foreign executive power, a shark nature where self-preservation trumps all.