‘The Humans’ speak to all of us

For another view of this play, see the review by Carol Davis

By Eric George Tauber

SAN DIEGO — Thanksgiving dinner: A time for families to be thankful for one another even as they bicker about religion, politics and life-choices between forkfuls of turkey and glasses of wine.

Brigid Blake and her boyfriend Rich have moved into a garden duplex in Chinatown. There are noises from above and a view of an alley filled with cigarette butts from the only window. The movers haven’t arrived with all of their stuff yet, so furnishings are pretty spare. It’s modestly pleasant by New York City standards. But driving in from the quiet suburb of Scranton, it’s not exactly what Brigid’s parents are used to.

Giulio Parrone’s set has to be sturdy enough for the actors to stomp and jump around on without cracking. A really nice touch were the trees that flank the set with their roots exposed.

Jeffrey Meek and Elizabeth Dennehy as Erik and Deirdre Blake, have a nice rapport as Brigid’s parents. Not overtly affectionate, they’ve gotten so used to each other that they need only half-sentences to communicate. Kate Rose Reynolds and Brian Mackey make a sweet young couple, Brigid Blake and Richard Saad, stealing little kisses as they set the table. They’re not married yet, as Deirdre keeps reminding them, but they click.

Amanda Sitton is Aimee Blake, Brigid’s sister. She comes across as strong and successful on the outside. But just below the surface is a world of pain and insecurity. Like most families, the Blakes bicker with biting affection, constantly talking over each other. Private conversations aren’t always private and there are secrets that won’t wait until after dinner.

“Where can we go home?”

Local theatre icon Rosina Reynolds plays Momo, Brigid and Aimee’s grandmother. Not long for this world, she suffers from dementia and requires almost constant attention. Her lines are phrases repeated with increasing intensity. After the show, I was chatting with the director, Todd Salovey. He said that they discussed how you communicate with someone who has lost the ability to verbalize.  Momo seems to be sending urgent messages from her own little world that have gotten lost in translation.

The Blakes are a family that we learn to embrace with affection and need a drink after they leave. Award winning playwright Stephen Karam says that he didn’t start The Humans by saying he was going to write about the dying middle class. “That’s a losing game… unless there are complex, multidimensional, people at the center of the conflict.” And that’s who we meet there. The Blakes are a big slice of America, struggling in the present and looking anxiously into the future.

Definitely worthwhile, The Humans plays through Feb 2 on the Lyceum Stage in Horton Plaza.

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Eric George Tauber is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com