The very topical topic of gentrification takes center stage in a comedic and moving show, the newest from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames. Starring Susan Kelechi Watson, well-known for her acclaimed role as Beth Pearson on , and Mamadou Athie, who recently starred on the Hulu series, the show offers a nuanced exploration of gentrification, community, and identity.

centers on Watson’s Aisha and her husband as they renovate a house in Aisha’s old neighborhood, creating suspense over the long run of their once famous community. At first glance, this may increasingly seem to be a straightforward story about urban revitalization and displacement, nevertheless it goes deeper and asks necessary questions on how people interact with the neighborhoods they find yourself in. Through the character of Aisha, the play explores what happens when people determine to remodel a community, relatively than understanding how they will contribute to it.

For Watson, returning to the stage was like coming home. “Theater is one of my greatest loves,” she explained. “For me, theater is the basis of acting. The return is always full of emotions. It’s a completely different muscle than film and television.” Watson, who boasts an in depth film and tv resume, also starred in the Public Theater’s 2022 production a singular version of Shakespeare’s play with an all-black forged set in South Harlem. “There is nothing like it,” he says of live performances. “Every time you perform, the audience is different and the atmosphere on stage will be different. There is nothing higher than doing something and it only exists in this space at the moment for these people.

For this particular series, Watson, who grew up in New York, was particularly drawn to the story and characters. “She is just. She’s just a real person. She’s very close to me,” Watson said. She connected deeply with Aisha’s background and experiences, noting how gentrification – one of the play’s main themes – mirrored her own observations of life in New York. “It’s only now that I’m coming to terms with the fact that it’s so different here. Much of what made this film special is no longer there, and that’s hard to regret. I saw things that seemed very steeped in culture completely change.”

Through , viewers are encouraged to think about the usually neglected complexities of gentrification. The dialogue between Aisha and her husband Travis highlights contrasting perspectives on whether to simply accept or resist the changes in their neighborhood. “What I like about our play,” Watson noted, “is that it delves into the complications of arguing about gentrification in the same community. Two Black people are talking about it. So what does this mean and what are these two points of view?”

Aisha’s journey reflects the strain between the need for positive change and respect for the lived experiences of those that already call a spot home. Watson says the play asks, “How can these two things exist at the same time and leaves room for people to be more understanding and compassionate about it.”

The balance of humor and social commentary that may be a hallmark of Ijames’ work allows the art to have interaction with a difficult subject in a way that’s more approachable and accessible, yet deeply moving. “When things are very deep, we often look for humor to lighten them up, and James is really good at that,” Watson says. “I love doing comedies, so it’s really nice to find those moments where it’s lighter, sharp, witty, where there’s just funny laughter, where it’s exaggerated, where it’s the most subtle. There are so many different types of comedy that it’s easy to fall back on the fact that this play has this tone.”

Watson personally finds humor especially funny. “I’m a big comedy fan – that’s what I mostly watch. That’s how I grew up. I am in such a family. Everyone is funny. That’s how we dealt with everything – with humor. In my opinion, sometimes this way you can make people hear something in a more relaxed way, allowing the sound to penetrate deeper.”

ultimately challenges us to rethink the dynamics of belonging and consider what it means to actually integrate right into a community, not as a force for change, but as a part of its fabric. It is a thoughtful and insightful exploration of the complexities of home, identity and community in a rapidly changing world.