Lauren F. Walker and Chaundre Hall-Broomfield Photo by Joan Marcus

George Zhou's set, which includes interior views of two apartments and a mutually shared hallway between them, is revelatory, proactive, and specifically 1927. Wallpaper, lamps, wooden table and chairs are all perfect. Ein Kim's brilliant projections combine with Ankit Pandey's lighting choices to enhance the setting. The action transpires in Manhattan's San Juan Hill, blocks which were later eliminated and replaced when Lincoln Center was constructed.

Joseph Barton (Russell G. Jones) is last to appear on stage yet he is a domineering, tyrannical figure. He came to New York from the Caribbean and was very much influenced by Marcus Garvey. Everyone in the Barton household springs to attention when Joseph, a menacing threat, is in the room. Barton and his wife Florie (Christina Acosta Robinson) have four children and Mr. Joseph Barton insists they he control their lives. He demands that Annetta (Lauren F. Walker) will accordingly marry a man of West Indian blood.

Eustace Baylor (Chaundre Hall-Broomfield) shares an apartment across the way with his aunt, Lizzie Harris (Heather Alicia Simms). Eustace, an American Black man who first lived in the South, is animated and larger-than-life. He and Annetta fall for one another, which creates a potential clash of cultures if the families blend. Heather Alicia Simms, maximizing her role, has consummate comic timing and therefore garnered many a laugh from Yale Rep's opening night crowd.

Annetta intends to proceed with plans to marry Eustace. Florie, her mother, does not want her daughter to suffer through the type of relationship she has had with Joseph. A significant portion of the production's final hour takes place on the rooftop of the shared building. Eustace and Annetta get together, and playwright Carter supplies intense, authentic dialogue which the actors ardently deliver. Annetta loves Eustace but explains, still, that her father wants the very best for her. If only a theatregoer were able to camp out on that upper level to get even closer to the very best moments the show offers.

Joseph Barton becomes disabled at a certain point and cannot speak. You might just have to attend to find out just what has happened since a spoiler here is not warranted. Those who research beforehand might very well appreciate Eden on multiple levels. It is a heartfelt show, whether or not one has prepped beforehand, with universal relevance. Eden is about loyalty and it is also about love.

Chaundre Hall-Broomfield, as Eustace, and Lauren F. Walker, playing Annetta, are fully credible. Christina Acosta Robinson, an impassioned Florie, and Heather Alicia Simms, as audacious, knowing Lizzie, excel. Nimrod (Juice Mackins), Solomon (Prentiss Patrick-Carter), and Agnes (Alicia Pilgrim) are Barton offspring who add flavor to the proceedings. Russell G. Jones, the award-winning performer cast as Joseph, is fittingly rigid, unyielding, and ominous. It is trying, upon occasion, for a listener to fully decipher/hear Jones's words.

Director Brandon J. Dirden expertly brings together the complexity of feelings and ideas to fully realize the play's promise. Dirden is a splendid performer himself, and he coaxes excellent character portrayals. People come and go as the show unfolds, the scene shifts from one locale to the other, and Dirden does well to push it all forward. That is more difficult to achieve at the outset and, for a time, the goings-on are informational. The second component, though, is far more involving and intimate. All the cast members deliver Carter's dialogue with conviction and belief as they transport theatregoers right there, whether that be within the Barton living area or up on the roof with the youthful couple. It is an increasingly engrossing theatre experience.

Eden runs through February 8, 2025, at Yale Repertory Theatre, 1120 Chapel St., New Haven CT. For tickets and information, please call 203-432-1234 or visit Yalerep.org.