Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion: The Play
When pistol-packing, chain-smoking granny Mabel "Madea" Simmons (Tyler Perry) invites her family over for the weekend, chaos is sure to follow. First they gather for her sister Irene's funeral and then for the wedding of her granddaughter, Lisa (Sonya Evans). Naturally, nothing goes as planned. The rest of her extended family include daughters Cora (Tamela J. Mann) and Vickie (Pebbles Johnson), granddaughters Jackie (D'Atra Hicks) and Tina (Zakiya Williams), and irrepressible neighbor Mr. Brown (David Mann). The urban inspirational comedy, which was followed by popular spin-offMeet the Browns, takes place between the two events as family members attempt to heal their differences through quips, scriptures, and gospel-oriented numbers. Written, produced, and directed by Perry (who co-wrote the music and lyrics),Madea's Family Reunionwas filmed in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana in February 2002. A feature film version starring Blair Underwood and Lynn Whitfield is planned for 2006.--Kathleen C. Fennessy