A DRAMATISTS PLAY SERVICE TITLE

The Lake Effect

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  1w, 2m

During a fierce winter storm, estranged siblings reunite in their family’s restaurant in this funny and moving play that serves up a spicy menu of family secrets, sibling rivalry, tikka masala and unlikely friendship.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 2m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 2013 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Play

Details

Summary

During a fierce winter storm, estranged siblings reunite in their family’s restaurant amid pungent memories of tandoors and tikka masala. When a regular customer claims to know more of their family history than they do, Vijay and Priya are forced to consider the future of the business. Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph serves up a spicy menu of family secrets, sibling rivalry and unlikely friendship in this funny and moving play.

History

The Lake Effect first premiered in Chicago, IL with Silk Road Rising on 23 April 2013. Directed by Timothy Douglas, the production featured Minita Gandhi, Adam Poss and Mark Smith.

VIJAY – M, 36, Indian-American.
BERNARD – M, 36, African-American.
PRIYA – F, 32, Indian-American, Vijay’s younger sister.

  • Time Period Contemporary, New Millennium/21st Century
  • Setting

    Cleveland, 2010.

  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features No Intermission
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes
    • Suicide

Media

“Affecting!” – Centerstage

“A funny and moving examination of families, culture and the American Dream.” – Chicago Stage Standard

“These are all deeply vulnerable characters, and the issues in play are not only complex in their exploration of race, class and education, they’re also intensely personal. Love and loss scramble everything.” – Chicago Tribune

“Simply brilliant! Shows the power of family and the reconciliation process when growing up without the matriarch. More than that, and here is the brilliance of Mr. Joseph, it ends up being about how we are all longing for a mother’s affection and how coping with their death at an early age puts on a life path they never intended to have happen as a parent.” – ShowBizChicago

“It is no small feat to have a world premiere be as effective as this – you may even be inspired to make that long-avoided call to your folks.” – Stage and Cinema

“A refreshing take on the effects of one’s life on their significant others.” – Chicago Critic

“Poignant… In Joseph’s writing, there is certainly poetry… A relatively quiet drama that spotlights the tenuousness of the family dynamic, especially when engulfed in the messy aftermath of an unexpected tragedy.” – MD Theatre Guide

“Infused with an earnest appeal for human connection… Thorny with anxiety and resentment… bristles with the indecision to blame or to forgive… A nuanced and empathetic view toward a family’s changing fortunes… a show of revealing and confrontational honesty.” – DC Theater Arts

“Plunges us into a family situation alive with tense, humorously tinged possibilities.” – SF Gate

Videos

  • The Lake Effect – A Scene from the Show youtube thumbnail

    The Lake Effect – A Scene from the Show

  • The Lake Effect – About the Show youtube thumbnail

    The Lake Effect – About the Show

  • The Lake Effect – About the Characters youtube thumbnail

    The Lake Effect – About the Characters

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Authors

Rajiv Joseph

Rajiv Joseph’s play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo was a 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist for drama and also awarded a grant for Outstanding New American Play by the National Endowment for the Arts. His play Guards at the Taj was a 2016 Obie winner for Best New American Play and ...

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