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Meet the Browns (play)

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Meet the Browns
Written byTyler Perry
CharactersMr. Brown, Cora, L.B., Sarah, Vera, Will, Kim, Tracey, Rev. Oliver
Date premieredAugust 31, 2004 (2004-08-31)
Place premieredNew Orleans
Original languageEnglish
SubjectFamily, Death
GenreComedy-Drama
SettingChurch
Tyler Perry Plays chronology
Why Did I Get Married? Madea Goes to Jail

Meet the Browns is a 2004 American stage play written, produced and directed by Tyler Perry.[1] It stars David & Tamela Mann as Mr. Brown & Cora, as they head off to see Brown's side of the family. The play is a spin off of 2003's Madea's Class Reunion, where it's revealed at the ending that Brown is Cora's long-lost father. The live performance released on VHS and DVD on October 27, 2004 was recorded live in Cleveland at the Palace Theatre in October 2004.

Plot

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The play begins with Brown's (David Mann) brother, L.B., and his wife, Sarah, in their house very early in the morning. Their daughter, Milay (whose real name is Millie Jean), soon comes in after being awakened at her own house by her parents. She soon learns that her grandfather (Brown and L.B.'s father) had died, and they need help preparing for the funeral. After a little convincing, Milay decides to help with funeral arrangements.

The next morning, Sarah and Milay are talking together while L.B. is upstairs crying. We soon learn that Milay was divorced and had a son who died. But before more can be learned, Mr. Brown and Cora come in and get acquainted with everyone. Everyone is surprised to learn that Brown is Cora's father and that Madea is her mother. Soon after, Will and his wife, Kim, come in. Will's overly drunk mother, Vera (singer Nicci Gilbert) comes in after them crying hysterically. She jumps upon seeing Brown, believing it was he that had died. When she is told it is her father that has died, she nearly collapses, and begins to cry again. Vera begins to insult Cora about her weight, and Cora starts yelling and pulls out a gun, and begins to act like her mother Madea, very crazy.

Meanwhile, the ladies are at the church when Tracey Stevens walks in. She tells them that she is pregnant and the father is a married man. Sarah gives Tracey her number and address and tells her to stop by any time. Soon only Cora is left in the church when Rev. Henry Oliver walks in. Cora soon takes a liking to the reverend as the two develop a romance.

Later, Tracey comes to the house and goes off with Sarah. Milay's ex-husband, Gerald shows up, giving his sympathy and planning to come to the funeral. Milay is outraged, mainly because Gerald didn't have the decency to come to their own son's funeral. Once Gerald leaves, Tracey then comes back and sees Will, stating that he is her baby's father. The revelation startles everyone, especially Kim, who storms out in tears.

Sarah, in a musical number, prays to God and hopes her family will be healed. After continuing to angrily reject Will's apologies, Sarah speaks to Kim, who tells her to make a list with every good thing Will had ever done for her along with every bad one. She continues, saying that if the bad outweighed the good, then she was free to let Will go. But if the good were to outweigh the bad, then she should fight completely for her marriage. Later, Tracy reveals that she is not pregnant and reveals her intentions, and Will and Kim finally reconcile. Gerald and Milay also reconcile. In a special feature on the DVD while Brown is teaching the guys how to play golf Madea calls "The Brown's House" looking for Cora and Brown telling them that she is in jail and she will tell them what she did in the next play, Madea Goes to Jail.

Musical numbers

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All songs written and/or produced by Tyler Perry and Elvin D. Ross.

  1. "Find A Good Woman (You'll Find a Good Thing") – Will, Brown and L.B.
  2. "Ain't Nothing Like a Good Man" – Vera, Kim and Tracy
  3. "Heart to Heart" – Cora
  4. "Give It to Jesus" – Sarah
  5. "Don't Give Up on Me" – Will
  6. "I'll Fly Away" - Sarah and Cora
  7. "In The Morning (When I Rise)"- L.B., Brown, Henry
  8. "What Happened to The Man"- Milay and Gerald
  9. "Silent Night" (ad-lib) - Brown
  10. "This Is Your Grandaddy" (ad-lib) - Brown
  11. "Ain't Nothing Like Family" - Sarah, Gerald, Will, Brown, Cora and Company

Film adaptation

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A film adaptation of the play was released on March 21, 2008. The film altered almost all the plot details found in the play with most of its storyline coming from the 2006 play, What's Done in the Dark.

Differences from the stage play

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  • Despite being the title characters, the Browns are only supporting characters and are only included in the story's subplot. In addition to this, they are only seen near the beginning of the film and near the end.
  • The only characters that appear in the film are Mr. Brown, Cora, LB, Sarah, Will, and Vera.
  • LB is more laid-back and friendlier than he is in the play
  • Mr. Brown is not the central character or protagonist. He is only comic relief.
  • Madea only appears in the film, as she did not appear in the stage play. (Although she did appear in a flashback in the very beginning & in a recorded phone call towards the middle of the play.)

TV series

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The TV series is based on the play and the film of the same name by Tyler Perry. The TV series involves several main characters from the film including, Mr. Brown, Cora Simmons, Will Brown, and features Vera Brown in a recurring role. David Mann, Tamela Mann, Lamman Rucker, and Jenifer Lewis all respectively reprise their characters from the film. L.B. does not make an appearance at any point in the series, although he is mentioned once in an episode of House of Payne.

Tour dates

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Scheduled shows
Date City Venue
August 31, 2004 New Orleans Saenger Theatre
September 1, 2004
September 2, 2004
September 3, 2004
September 4, 2004
September 5, 2004
September 7, 2004 Philadelphia Merriam Theater
September 8, 2004
September 9, 2004
September 10, 2004
September 11, 2004
September 12, 2004
September 15, 2004 Washington, D.C. Warner Theatre
September 16, 2004
September 17, 2004
September 18, 2004
September 19, 2004
September 21, 2004
September 22, 2004
September 23, 2004
September 24, 2004
September 25, 2004
September 26, 2004
September 28, 2004 Philadelphia Merriam Theater
September 29, 2004
September 30, 2004
October 1, 2004
October 2, 2004
October 3, 2004
October 5, 2004 Columbus Palace Theatre
October 6, 2004
October 7, 2004 Cleveland Palace Theatre
October 8, 2004
October 9, 2004
October 10, 2004
October 12, 2004 Houston Verizon Wireless Theater
October 13, 2004
October 14, 2004
October 15, 2004
October 16, 2004
October 17, 2004
October 26, 2004 Baltimore Morgan State University
October 27, 2004
October 28, 2004
October 29, 2004
October 30, 2004
October 31, 2004
November 2, 2004 New York Beacon Theatre
November 3, 2004
November 4, 2004
November 5, 2004
November 6, 2004
November 7, 2004
November 9, 2004 Chicago Arie Crown Theater
November 10, 2004
November 11, 2004
November 12, 2004
November 13, 2004
November 14, 2004
November 16, 2004 Newark Newark Symphony Hall
November 17, 2004
November 18, 2004
November 19, 2004
November 20, 2004
November 21, 2004
November 23, 2004 Atlanta Atlanta Civic Center
November 24, 2004
November 25, 2004
November 26, 2004
November 27, 2004
November 28, 2004
January 4, 2005 Washington, D.C. Warner Theatre
January 5, 2005
January 6, 2005
January 7, 2005
January 8, 2005
January 9, 2005
January 11, 2005 Akron Akron Civic Center
January 12, 2005 Columbus Veterans Memorial Auditorium
January 13, 2005 St. Louis Fox Theatre
January 14, 2005
January 15, 2005
January 16, 2005
January 18, 2005 New York Beacon Theatre
January 19, 2005
January 20, 2005
January 21, 2005
January 22, 2005
January 23, 2005
January 26, 2005 Miami James L. Knight Center
January 27, 2005
January 28, 2005
January 29, 2005
January 30, 2005
February 1, 2005 Greenville Peace Center for the Performing Arts
February 2, 2005
February 4, 2005 Hampton Hampton Coliseum
February 5, 2005
February 6, 2005
February 10, 2005 Jacksonville Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts
February 11, 2005
February 12, 2005
February 13, 2005
February 17, 2005 Kansas City Kansas City Music Hall
February 18, 2005
February 19, 2005
February 20, 2005
February 22, 2005 Detroit Fox Theatre
February 23, 2005
February 24, 2005
February 25, 2005
February 26, 2005
February 27, 2005
March 8, 2005 Tampa Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
March 9, 2005
March 10, 2005
March 11, 2005 Orlando Orange County Convention Center
March 12, 2005
March 13, 2005 Tallahassee Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center
March 15, 2005 Dallas Bruton Theatre
March 16, 2005
March 17, 2005
March 18, 2005
March 19, 2005
March 20, 2005
March 29, 2005 Beaumont Beaumont Civic Center
March 30, 2005
March 31, 2005 San Antonio San Antonio Municipal Auditorium
April 1, 2005
April 2, 2005 Austin Frank Erwin Center
April 3, 2005
April 7, 2005 Memphis Orpheum Theatre
April 8, 2005
April 9, 2005
April 10, 2005
April 12, 2005 Montgomery Joe L. Reed Acadome
April 13, 2005
April 19, 2005 Phoenix Dodge Theatre
April 20, 2005
April 21, 2005 Hollywood Kodak Theatre
April 22, 2005
April 23, 2005
April 24, 2005
April 26, 2005 Sacramento Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
April 27, 2005
April 28, 2005 Oakland Paramount Theatre
April 29, 2005
April 30, 2005
May 1, 2005
May 3, 2005 Las Vegas Aladdin Resort and Casino
May 4, 2005
May 5, 2005

Original touring cast

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After Tamika Scott left production, Trina Braxton assumed her role.

The band

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  • Mike Frazier - Musical Director / Bass Guitar
  • Eric Morgan - Drums
  • Donnie "D-Major" Boynton - Keyboards
  • Clarence Hill - Keyboards

References

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  1. ^ Blank, Christopher (April 9, 2005). "Madea spinoff introduces madcap cast of characters". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. Retrieved 12 January 2024.