| Meet the Browns | |
| Characters: | Mr. Brown, Cora, L.B., Sarah, Vera, Will, Kim, Tracey, Rev. Oliver |
| Setting: | Church |
| Orig Lang: | English |
| Subject: | Family, Death |
| Genre: | Comedy-Drama |
| Last Play: | Why Did I Get Married? |
| Next Play: | Madea Goes to Jail |
| Chronology: | Tyler Perry Plays |
Meet the Browns is an 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.
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.
All songs written and/or produced by Tyler Perry and Elvin D. Ross.
See main article: article and Meet the Browns (film). 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.
See main article: article and Meet the Browns (TV series).
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.
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 |
After Tamika Scott left production, Trina Braxton assumed her role.