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Regretfully, So the Birds Are

Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy  /  4w, 2m

Julia Izumi

Julia Izumi's farcical tragedy about three siblings questions the destructive nature of the American need for identity, while trying to wade through the murky waters of Asian-American-ness.

Regretfully, So the Birds Are

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 2m
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

Arson. Affairs. Incest. Murder... are only the beginning of problems for the Whistler siblings. Mora’s gotta find her birth mother, Neel’s gotta find himself, and Illy’s gotta keep her piece of the sky... but the birds have other plans. Julia Izumi’s Regretfully, So the Birds Are is a madcap comedy that gleefully flips the human quest for self-discovery on its head.

History
Regretfully, So the Birds Are premiered off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons on 22 March 2023. Directed by Jenny Koons, the production featured Sasha Diamond, Gibson Frazier, Kristine Nielsen, Sky Smith, Pearl Sun and Shannon Tyo.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups

ILLY – 25, female, Asian American
NEEL – 28, male, Asian American
MORA – 29 going on 30, female, Asian American
ELINORE – 62, female, white American
CAM THE SNOWMAN – An American snow(white)man
SREY – Age unclear, female, French? Cambodian?

COWMAN – Male, played by same actor as CAM THE SNOWMAN
A BIRD – Very bird, played by same actor as ELINORE
MANY BIRDS – So very birds, played by EVERYBODY!

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Setting A really sweet tree in New Jersey, a couch, a tundra, Nebraska, prison, others? The present.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features No Intermission
  • Duration 105 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Whimsical... [an] absurdist carnival.” – Theatremania

“Julia Izumi is first-rate talent whose work is funny, insightful, and masterful. I can’t wait to see what she does next.” – DC Metro Theater Arts

“Equal parts chaos and absurdity.” – The New York Times

“Izumi’s play is crazy, chaotic, but also cleverly plotted... The script is a mold-breaker, a convention-twitter. The only guarantee is hilarity at regular intervals.” – New York Stage Review

"[A] loopy portrait of three adult Asian adoptees.... Absurdism, in other words, served up smartly with perhaps just a dash of didactic curiosity.” – New York Stage Review

“A memorable work of juicy, contentious fiction.” – Theatrely

Videos

  • Regretfully, So the Birds Are – Playwrights Horizons Trailer youtube thumbnail

    Regretfully, So the Birds Are – Playwrights Horizons Trailer

Licensing & Materials

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

Scripts

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Authors

Julia Izumi

Julia Izumi

Julia Izumi (she/her) is a writer and performer who makes plays, musicals and other theatrical nonsense.

Her work has been developed and presented at Manhattan Theatre Club, Clubbed Thumb, New Georges, Bushwick Starr, WP Theater, The COOP, Berkeley Rep’s Ground Floor, SPACE on ...

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