‘THE HUMANS’: (left to right) Reed Birney, Jane Houdyshell, Sarah Steele, Arian Moayed. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

THE HUMANS
Written by Steven Karam
Directed by Joe Mantello
Helen Hayes Theatre
240 West 44th Street
(212-239-6200), www.thehumansonbroadway.com

By Scott Harrah

Dysfunctional family dramas have become a staple in American theater, but Steven Karam’s The Humans, which just transferred to Broadway after a brief run at the Roundabout Laura Pels, is the rare exception of such a play that resonates with a natural universality. Think of this as a one-act, abridged version of Tracey Letts’ August: Osage County with a supernatural twist. Director Joe Mantello has left everything from the Off Broadway version intact, from the fine cast to the unique, split-level set depicting a bare bones Manhattan basement duplex apartment.

Steven Karam, best known for his 2011 drama Sons of the Prophet, establishes himself as one of America’s leading playwrights here with the saga of the Blakes. The family has traveled from Scranton, Pennsylvania to spend Thanksgiving with daughter Brigid (Sarah Steele) and her boyfriend Richard (Arian Moayed) in their new Chinatown abode. In 95 minutes, we learn about the many troubles of the family. Brigid and Richard are swimming in student loan debt. Brigid’s parents Erik (Reed Birney) and Deirdre (Jane Houdyshell) are in their 60s and have mounting financial troubles, plus the burden of taking care of Erik’s mother, Momo (Lauren Klein), suffering from the late stages of Alzheimer’s. Older daughter Aimee (Cassie Beck), an attorney, is grappling with a debilitating health problem and a lackluster love life (her girlfriend recently dumped her).

Throughout the show, we hear strange sounds, many of which Brigid blames on an elderly neighbor, while others are attributed to a trash compactor. As the show progresses, the sounds become stranger and more jangled and disturbing. Are these the sounds of the neighbor, typical street noise in Manhattan, or something darker and more sinister? This is one of the many enigmas never explained.

The story has all the elements of a crisis-by-the-numbers, formulaic drama, but what sets it apart from others is the crisp, often hilarious dialogue and the onstage chemistry of the cast. Besides the personal turmoil of each character, there isn’t much else to the plot other than everyone is gathered to spend the most iconic American holiday together. The Blakes are folks who are much like many struggling middle-class Americans in the 21st century. They struggle to keep and find jobs and make ends meet and argue about religion and values, or even things as trivial as organic “super foods.”

What’s most remarkable here is the great ensemble acting, expertly directed by Joe Mantello. Mr. Birney and Ms. Houdyshell truly standout, but credit must also be given to the technical and set wizards of the show: David Zinn for his innovative scenic design; the lighting design by Justin Townsend; and the sound design of Fitz Patton because The Humans relies heavily on the set, sounds and lighting to evoke the mood and take the audience on an emotional ride that is already one of the 2015/2016 season’s most-talked-about dramas.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published February 21, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on February 20, 2016

‘THE HUMANS’: Sarah Steele & Reed Birney. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

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‘THE HUMANS’: (left to right) Sarah Steele, Arian Moayed, Jayne Houdyshell & Lauren Klein. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE HUMANS
Written by Steven Karam
Directed by Joe Mantello
Through December 27, 2015
Laura Pels Theatre
111 West 46th Street
(212-719-1300), www.Roundabouttheatre.org

By David NouNou

Stephen Karam is one of the most promising and exciting new playwrights to have emerged in the last 10 years. So I was most anxious to see what his follow-up to the exquisite 2011 production of Sons of the Prophet would be, and true to form, he has lived up to his early promise with The Humans.

For The Humans, he has created a puzzle in which all the pieces should fit together seamlessly but amazingly all the pieces have imperceptible jagged edges where nothing fits. The puzzle might as well have the setting of a “The Twilight Zone” episode and the outer parameter of the puzzle is centered on one of the most iconic American holidays, Thanksgiving. The Blake family has driven all the way from Scranton, Pennsylvania to celebrate Thanksgiving dinner with their younger daughter in her new basement duplex apartment in lower Manhattan, NYC.

As in Sons of the Prophet, everyone here carries a heavy burden and each person carries their burden in silence…until that fateful moment. Eric (Reed Bierney) and Deidre (Jayne Houdyshell) Blake have come with their older daughter, Aimee (Cassie Beck), and Momo (Lauren Klein), their Alzheimer-riddled mother, in what appears to be celebrating Thanksgiving with their younger daughter, Brigid (Sarah Steele) and her boyfriend Richard Saad (Arian Moayed) in what most any family would deem as a happy get-together and that’s all you’re going to get out of me.

I say this because I truly believe that each viewer has to formulate his or her own opinion when first viewing a new piece of such magnitude. It is unfair both to the playwright and the audience to divulge more information because it hinders the experience and the layers that the writer has imbued in this piece.

As directed by Joe Mantello, he extracts excellent performances from each of his cast members; however the veterans Reed Bierney and Jayne Houdyshell are standouts. In the wrong hands, this could have been a maudlin evening, but in Mr. Mantello’s hands, he keeps his cast and things moving at a fast-pace. I have to add that David Zinn’s set is a visual treat. His duplex anchors the show and all that is about to unfold.

This is a theatrical experience that is most enjoyable in a small, almost claustrophobic venue, so I urge you to see it at the Laura Pels Theatre. For this particular Thanksgiving dinner, you have to be a guest and not an audience member.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 29, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on October 28, 2015

‘THE HUMANS’: (left to right) Cassie Beck, Arian Moayed, Reed Birney, Jayne Houdyshell, Lauren Klein & Sarah Steele. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE HUMANS’: (clockwise from top) Sarah Steele, Cassie Beck, Arian Moayed, Jayne Houdyshell & Reed Birney. Photo: Joan Marcus

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MATRIARCH OF THE ‘HOUSE’: Blythe Danner in ‘Country House.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

THE COUNTRY HOUSE
By Donald Margulies
Directed by Daniel Sullivan
Through November 9, 2014
Manhattan Theatre Club
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
461 West 47th Street, (212-239-6200)
www.ManhattanTheatreClub.org

By Scott Harrah

Things seem familiar in this comedic drama by Donald Margulies (Time Stands Still) about a showbiz family gathering in a country home near Williamstown, Massachusetts, headed by matriarch/aging actress Anna Patterson (Blythe Danner), and for good reason. Mr. Margulies, a Pulitzer Prize winner, knows how to create dramatic tension with his crisp dialogue and numerous plot twists, but unfortunately he relies too much on half-baked ideas we’ve seen elsewhere, particularly in the rural, angst-ridden epics of Anton Chekhov. There are many great lines and a few outstanding performances, but also little substance or originality in The Country House.

Anna is about to start rehearsals for a summer stock production of Mrs. Warren’s Profession during the town’s annual Theatre Festival. Her Yalie granddaughter, Susie (Sarah Steele), has just arrived from school, still mourning the death of her famous actress mom, Kathy, from cancer.

Susie’s father is Walter Keegan (David Rasche), a Hollywood director, who is engaged to the glamorous Nell (Kate Jennings Grant). Susie is upset that her father is going to marry so soon after her mother’s death. Meanwhile, her uncle, Elliot (Eric Lange), is overwrought because he once had the hots for Nell when the two of them did a show in Louisville years earlier.

In addition, all the women lust and pine over longtime family friend and hunky TV star, Michael Astor (Daniel Sunjata). This rather silly subplot reeks more of soapy melodrama than Chekhovian longing.

What happens throughout most of the play is predictable and trite. Walter whines about being too successful in L.A. and getting everything he wants. Elliot has failed as an actor, feels inadequate and is trying to write his first play. Anna isn’t sure she can memorize all the lines for Mrs. Warren’s Profession. Along the way, characters spew witty one-liners about life in the theater and show business in general because ultimately this is a story of actors, all cooped up together and being philosophical.

Blythe Danner is the star of the show, and although her Anna is elegant and sassy, her character is one of the show’s least interesting. The standouts here include Ms. Steele (“The Good Wife”), who injects a nice mix of adolescent sarcasm and vulnerability to Susie. Eric Lange is excellent as the emotionally tortured Elliot. His meltdown in the second act, when he talks of his sister’s death and reveals childhood secrets to mother Anna, is stage acting at its best.

Daniel Sullivan does an admirable job directing everyone. John Lee Beatty’s set is impressive. There is indeed a lot of talent on the stage, so it’s a shame The Country House, despite some wry observations about the acting world, says so very little.

A MOTHER’S TOUCH: (left to right) Kate Jennings Grant, Daniel Sunjata & Blythe Danner. Photo: Joan Marcus

GRANDMOTHER & GRANDDAUGHTER: Blythe Danner & Sarah Steele. Photo: Joan Marcus

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 6, 2014
Reviewed at press performance on October 5, 2014

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