There aren’t many truly spooky plays, ones that make you jump.
But Stephen Karam knew to write about one of the scariest things there is–Thanksgiving dinners with family.
The Humans started its run at CapStage on October 16; it runs until Nov. 17, making it both a Halloween and Thanksgiving play.
It reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Home for the Holidays (directed by Jodie Foster, 1995). Except the tensions and secrets in The Humans seem to be manifesting in the walls.
My favorite aspect, though, was the realism. Michael Stevenson, the director, and his actors captured all the ways families talk to each other. How each line is layered with a complete human past behind it.
One character, the live-in boyfriend of one of the daughters, is trying to ingratiate himself into her family, so he keeps trying to side with his love’s mother when the two start rubbing each other the wrong way. No one can irritate us as much as family can; we’ve had years to find all the rawest nerves and to create new ways to get on them.
The Humans has won many awards; I’m thrilled that its Sacramento premiere is in the hands of such talented actors, director, and crew. It also works well in the company’s intimate space.
We’re so close that we have dinner with them (I was tempted to put some ice cream away that was left out too long), we laugh with them about all of mom’s silly texts, and we cry with mom when her feelings get hurt because we laughed at her.
Ultimately, this is a play about family, not just about how they drive us crazy, but how we learn to love them and forgive them despite a crime they can’t help: the crime of being human.
