NEXT OF KIN
"These scenes are savagely funny." - The Pitch
NEXT OF KIN
An Estranged New Comedy
Cast: 5
Type: full-length
Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama
Keyword: death, family, adult child with aging parent, dysfunctional family, religion
Synopsis: NEXT OF KIN tells the story of three squabbling siblings who begrudgingly head home to throw their mother a surprise birthday party, only to discover that she's been dead for three years. They have all taken care of her, but never communicated with her. Her electricity still works, but her heart doesn’t. The search for lost innocents and parental love fuel the fire of NEXT Of KIN.
Production History:
Staged Reading: Rockhurst University - Kansas City, MO -1999
NNPN Showcase: Stanford University Theatre - Stanford, CA - 2005
World Premiere: Unicorn Theatre - Kansas City, MO - 2006
YOUR 'KIN' OF PLAY - UNICORN, SIMONIAN PUT TOGETHER A FRACTURED FAMILY TALE TO REMEMBER
May 2, 2006 By ROBERT TRUSSELL Publication: The Kansas City Star
This comedy is by turns bawdy, witty and, in its own bizarre way, compassionate. "Next of Kin" may not be for all tastes, but that's what makes it good. The play deserves a wide audience and with a few productions around the country, it just might find one. More
SINS OF THE FATHER: A GROWN-UP RON SIMONIAN STILL KNOWS HOW TO PLAY.
May 4, 2006 By ALAN SCHERSTUHL Publication: Pitch Weekly
Simonian wrote work that made audiences feel more in one scene than they might in entire plays.
What landed him on the Unicorn stage (and, ultimately, off Broadway) is his exceptional scene-craft. He can sneak in a sucker-punch at any moment. His clever miscues encourage us to assume one thing while he whets something worse. And he generates true suspense as he builds from the everyday to the one-day-in-hell. But they're also kind of moving. These scenes are savagely funny.
NEXT OF KIN AT THE UNICORN THEATRE, REVIEW
May 07, 2006 By Jeannine Chatterton-Papineau Publication: InfoZine, KC, Mo
Next of Kin is a farcical study of familial anomie, crafted on a series of broad improbabilities involving broadly sketched characters. Much of the humor depends on the tantalizing reveal -- which then turns out to be only a partial reveal.
Next of Kin has moments you will remember, plenty of laughs, and a nicely distorted view of the world that make it worth seeing. More
'NEXT OF KIN' - PLAY INHERITS FROM RON SIMONIAN'S LIGHTER SIDE
April 27, 2006 By ROBERT TRUSSELL Publication: The Kansas City Star
All of Simonian's plays have revealed to some extent a philosophical view of life. His best plays are like anthropological studies of human behavior. Now he's at a stage of life where he talks more like an old philosopher than an audacious, brash young maverick. More
SPOTLIGHT: THE RETURN OF RON SIMONIAN
April 2206 By BRYAN COLLEY Publication: KC Stage
Next of Kin has Simonian’s trademark quirky, often-cynical-but-always hilarious voice, which allows him to present the most delicate subject matter in the most explosive possible way.
UNICORN TO HOST READING OF SIMONIAN'S `KIN'
October 14, 2004 By ROBERT TRUSSELL Publication: The Kansas City Star
Simonian is known for deriving humor from grotesque situations, and this play appears to fit the pattern.
Artistic director Cynthia Levin said... "Next of Kin" grabbed her. "Ron writes on this edge of being hilariously funny or (going) down a dark hole," she said. "This one he just completed two months ago, and I think it's the best he's written. More