In “Jesa”, the past can haunt you in more ways than one

04/05/2026

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Four women with East Asian features are gathered closely together, smiling warmly as they pose for a selfie in a dimly lit room. The woman in the center foreground holds a dark blue smartphone in a wallet case, her other hand resting over her heart as she beams at the screen. She wears a brown, long-sleeved button-down dress. To her left, a woman with short, dark hair and a patterned black vest looks at the phone with a soft smile. Behind them, another woman with long dark hair laughs joyfully, while the woman on the far right, wearing a dark green v-neck shirt and her hair in a high bun, smiles gently toward the camera. In the background, framed photos and artwork hang on a neutral-colored wall, suggesting a cozy, domestic setting. — Christine Heesun Hwang, Laura Sohn, Shannon Tyo, Tina Chilip (Photo by Joan Marcus)

Four women stand around a low table covered in a white lace cloth, which is set with a traditional ceremonial display of fruit, bowls, and small dishes. The woman in the center, wearing a brown long-sleeved dress, reaches toward the table with a focused expression. To her left, two women look on—one in a white blouse and grey trousers, and another in a black graphic t-shirt and dark vest. On the far right, a woman in a plaid flannel shirt stands with her hand on her hip, watching the activity. They are on a theatrical set designed to look like a modern, open-concept living area and kitchen, featuring dark walls, minimalist shelving with framed photos, and a tan sofa in the background. — Laura Sohn, Christine Heesun Hwang, Shannon Tyo, Tina Chilip (Photo by Joan Marcus)

Jesa, presented at the Public Theater by the resident Ma-Yi Theater Company, is a domestic comedy-drama, a look at Korean-American family rituals, and a tale of the supernatural. “How,” you may think, “can all this come together in a coherent play?”

The answer is simple: through the combined talents of playwright Jeena Yi, director Mei Ann Teo, and the four women who make up the cast of Jesa. Together, they present a believable, fractious family, meeting to perform a ritual dinner honoring their late parents — although no one remembers exactly how the ritual goes.

The four sisters are wildly dissimilar in attitudes and goals. The eldest, Tina (Tina Chilip), is foul-mouthed, drunk, and irreverent, acknowledging few boundaries. Grace (Shannon Tyo) is devoted to the goal of being the perfect suburban housewife and dutiful daughter. Elizabeth (Laura Sohn) is dedicated to the pursuit of business success. And Brenda (Christine Heesun Hwang), the youngest, has followed her artistic dream to a big city’s performing arts scene. They argue among themselves over everything, forming and reforming alliances with each change of topic.

All four have been shaped by their late parents. During their jesa (ritual feast), their actions show which parent is favored by each girl. As the emotional temperature rises, an eerie supernatural visitor makes its presence known — and felt. But who is it, and why is it there — if indeed it is there?

The four women are gathered in a tight group, their expressions somber and focused as they huddle around a single smartphone. A woman in a white blouse holds the phone while the woman in the brown dress leans in closely, pointing at the screen with a concerned look. To their right, the woman in the plaid shirt and the woman in the black vest watch with heavy, serious faces, their eyes fixed on the device. They are positioned against a wall decorated with several small, framed family photographs, and the dim stage lighting casts soft shadows, heightening the intense, shared moment of discovery or concern. — Shannon Tyo, Laura Sohn, Tina Chilip, Christine Heesun Hwang (Photo by Joan Marcus)

A woman with long, dark hair and a brown, long-sleeved dress stands in a dimly lit kitchen with a tense, defensive expression. She leans forward slightly, extending her right arm fully to point a large kitchen knife toward someone or something out of frame. Her brow is furrowed and her lips are tightly pressed together in a look of guarded concentration. In the background, a stainless steel refrigerator and white kitchen cabinetry are visible, with a small container of food and a cutting board on the marble countertop beside her, heightening the sudden, sharp contrast between the domestic setting and her confrontational stance. — Shannon Tyo, Laura Sohn, Tina Chilip, Christine Heesun Hwang (Photo by Joan Marcus)

Director Teo skillfully guides the cast through the tangled skeins of the sisters’ relationships to each other. In this, they are helped by fight director Chelsea Pace, who makes the girls’ physical battles unsettlingly realistic.

Two women are shown in a tense moment as they pack or unpack a cardboard box in a living room. On the right, a woman in a white blouse and grey textured trousers holds out a small, round red lacquer bowl, looking toward her companion with a neutral but expectant expression. On the left, the woman in the plaid flannel shirt stands with one hand on her hip, looking away with a concerned and weary face, as if distracted by a difficult conversation. The scene is set against a dark wall with minimalist wooden shelving, and a tan sofa with white and orange pillows is partially visible in the lower right, suggesting a transition or a moment of shared domestic stress. — Tina Chilip, Laura Sohn (Photo by Joan Marcus)

Jesa is more than just a tale of Korean-American ritual with a dash of the macabre. It is a finely crafted emotional roller coaster, its four actors creating an unlikely but believable family that transcends any one cultural group. It is funny and poignant and scary, and I recommend it highly. A very tasty offering is this Jesa!

Jesa is presented by the Ma-Yi Theater Company in the Shiva Theater at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette Street in New York, through April 12, 2026. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to publictheater.org.