Philadelphia-based Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames (Fat Ham) is back Off-Broadway at The Public Theater with the NYC premiere of his latest work Good Bones, directed again by The Public’s Associate Artistic Director Saheem Ali. The probing, funny, and impassioned four-hander considers the costs of gentrification when Travis and Aisha, a couple from very different socio-economic backgrounds, purchase and renovate an old home in her changing childhood neighborhood, causing heated debates with their contractor Earl, who also grew up there (in the same housing project as Aisha and attending the same high school), over revitalizing the area versus displacing a struggling community, transforming it versus destroying it. Mamoudou Athie, Susan Kelechi Watson, and Khris Davis. Photo by Joan Marcus. Aisha, whose career brought her back to her native city to advocate for the development of a new sports complex that would result in thousands of jobs and an economic boon, has only bad memories of violent crime, dangerous streets, dilapidated houses, and poverty, and getting out as soon as she was old enough to leave. Earl fondly recalls playing with his childhood friends in the abandoned house he’s restoring for them, which belonged to a beloved matriarch of the community, the businesses he frequented that are no longer there or will be demolished for the new construction, and the sense of home and belonging he felt and still cherishes. She wants to start over by championing improvements and making it safe and flourishing; he wants to respect the residents, honor the people who’ve lived there, and preserve their history and homes (with strong foundations – the titular “good bones”), while disparaging the grey monochrome palette Aisha and Travis chose for their kitchen! A top-notch cast of four – Susan Kelechi Watson as Aisha, Mamoudou Athie as Travis, Khris Davis as Earl, and Téa Guarino as his “bougie” younger sister Carmen, home on break from her Ivy League college – embraces the distinctive characters (in an array of defining costumes by Oana Botez, with hair and wigs by Krystal Balleza), their speech patterns (voice and text coaching by Julie Congress), attitudes, and arguments, rendering each of them convincing in their opposing beliefs, admirable in their deeply held convictions, and likeable despite their increasingly emotional disagreements. Téa Guarino, Khris Davis, Susan Kelechi Watson, and Mamoudou Athie. Photo by Joan Marcus. It all begins with their dispute over which knobs to use for the kitchen cabinets (the expensive ones designed and handcrafted by Earl to replicate the originals in the historic house, or the ones that are not as authentic but half the price and within Travis and Aisha’s agreed-upon budget) and comes to a head at a dinner prepared by Travis, a professional chef opening his new restaurant in the area, with a menu combining elements of traditional Black soul food with international haute cuisine (serving up a metaphorical parallel to the issue of urban gentrification and cultural assimilation). Carmen, who hits it off with the equally “bougie” Aisha and joyfully recreates their old drill routine from school with her (drill choreography by Darrell Grand Moultrie), sees both sides of the issue (as does Ijames) and provides an even-tempered voice of reason that is mostly ignored by the battling others (as her brother angrily storms out of the dinner and takes her with him, then pops his head back in for a minute to make the most hilarious request of Travis). Khris Davis, Susan Kelechi Watson, and Téa Guarino. Photo by Joan Marcus. The stress of the construction and proposed gentrification is compounded by strains in the marriage of Travis and Aisha (he moved there to support her dreams and career but doesn’t really like it; she’s jealous of his more privileged background and doesn’t get along with his mother), their struggle to conceive (and then questioning if they should really bring a child into this divisive world), and the ghosts she’s haunted by, either imagined or inhabiting the house (with otherworldly sound by Fan Zhang and eerie lighting by Barbara Samuels). A cogent set design (by Maruti Evans, with apropos props by Claire M. Kavanah) captures the stages of the interior reconstruction, as the plastic dust-barrier curtains are stripped away one by one to take us deeper into the kitchen, just as we get farther into the minds and views of the clashing characters. There are no easy answers in Good Bones, but there are incisive observations, humorous comments, and passionate opinions from the divergent perspectives and experiences of four different people, all of whom want to do what they believe is best. It’s an engaging theme that will leave you thinking about what’s right and considering the benefits and damage that come with change. Running Time: Approximately one hour and 45 minutes, without intermission. Good Bones plays through Sunday, October 27, 2024, at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street, NYC. For tickets (priced at $95-165, plus fees), go online.