“Barbecue”

The grill is hot, the beer is chilled, and the table is set for a typical O’Mallery family barbecue. The O’Mallerys are a dysfunctional group of siblings who come together for a barbecue in the park to stage an emergency intervention for their sister Barbara, whose drug habit has gotten out of hand. There are in fact two O’Mallery families, one white and one black. Each appear in different, yet similar scenes that juxtapose to create a dialogue about racial and family politics. Their ham-handed intervention ignites the fuse of this raucous and rollicking new comedy that skewers our warped view of the American family. From Obie and Helen Hayes Award winner Robert O’Hara, this “Barbecue” serves up a healthy helping of sibling love and loathing in this play presented by Theatre Raleigh. Purchase tickets online.