Ready for Company and Other Family Tales

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Ready for Company and Other Family Tales is a charming little one-woman show from writer/actress Kim Ima (The Trojan Woman, Food for Thought) about family, food, and memory. Ima extensively recounts the stories of both sides of her family, one Japanese-Americans from Washington and the other Jewish-Americans from California.

The directing by Megan Paradis Hanley (Sur, Superhero Clubhouse’s Loisaida Renaissance: A Decade above Water) maintains a generally lighthearted and breezy tone. Mary Olin Geiger’s set design is whimsical, with the stage full of assorted tchotchkes that provide a sense of a thoroughly lived-in home, appropriate for the setting.

Conflict is rarely delved into too deeply, which can lead to the show feeling as though it’s belaboring a point at times. The first half of the show in particular frequently falls into long pleasantries that rarely lead anywhere notable. There’s a recurring joke about a relative who can’t bake, for example, that never quite manages to find its legs.

Ima herself is quite comfortable on stage, presenting herself as very relaxed, as if she’s hosting a dinner party and spinning tales of her family to the assembled guests. Much time is devoted to Ima going through her family history in sometimes-exhaustive detail, starting with her grandparents, detailing their childhoods in various west coast locales. She occasionally ventures into more serious topics, such as an arranged marriage involving a family member from Japan, which she drives for some unique comedic value.

Towards the end, notably, she broaches the subject of her Japanese-American father’s internment during W.W. II, a subject handled with appropriate care for a very thoughtful conclusion to the show. Ima delves into going through her mother’s old unsent letters, which makes for some heartwarming material.

After the show, the audience is invited to make use of stationery, writing letters to their own families and loved ones. It’s a nice touch, inviting the audience to share in the show’s themes of connection and family. The display of old photos as well is an excellent touch.

Federico Restrepo’s lighting is quite lively, from washes of color during a music cue to flashy spotlights during a sequence that sees Ima portray a relative going to see Elvis live in concert at a Las Vegas hotel. The latter moment is one of the more charming in the show, with Ima humorously acting out failing to get back to her seat in time for her favorite song. Gabriel Berry’s costume design is fairly unobtrusive, keeping the focus on Ima herself.

Ready for Company and Other Family Tales is at times quite heartwarming. Amidst jokes and cakes, Kim Ima explores her family history across a century of change in the United States. The tone is light, Ima is quite fun as a performer, and the show never wears out its welcome. While the show is charming for what it is, yet it leaves much material unexplored. Instead, there are long digressions about aunts and grandfathers that tend to blend together, making it difficult to keep track of who’s who in the winding family tree the show seeks to present. Ima herself is at ease onstage, with a definite charisma. However, the show’s subject matter often renders the entire production perfectly pleasant though somewhat forgettable.

Ready for Company and Other Family Tales (through November 23, 2025)

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club

The Downstairs Theatre, 66 East 4th Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 212-352-3101 or visit https://www.lamama.org/

Running time: 70 minutes without an intermission