Brigid Blake and boyfriend Richard Saad have just started moving into their new apartment in New York. It is Thanksgiving, and they are hosting Brigid’s family (Erik: Dad, Deidre: Mom, Fiona: Grandma, and Aimee: Sister) who are visiting from Pennsylvania. They are still waiting on furniture, so Brigid and Richard have set up card tables in the basement, while Richard is doing a splendid job, cooking the Thanksgiving feast. The Blakes are Irish Catholic, a detail made immediate and charming when they sing a beautiful tune, aching with warmth and nostalgia. Grandmother is confined to a wheelchair and her mind is mostly in a holding pattern. (She functions as something of an oracle.) Things run smoothly, though mishaps continue throughout the evening. Eventually the gathering takes a dark turn.
If anything, playwright Stephen Karam has achieved an admirable level of modulation. The Humans doesn’t break into familial histrionics, like say, The Subject Was Roses, or Other Desert Cities. The conversation (with occasional sniping) is eminently recognizable They discuss plans for the future, personal history, thanksgiving traditions, the horribly loud neighbors, an unfortunate episode intersecting the 911 attacks. None of it feels contrived, yet it doesn’t feel arbitrary, either. It’s as if Karam is sewing a quilt. The mother brings a statue of Mary, though Brigid’s an atheist, they break a peppermint pig, for luck, there are bars on the windows, and the lights keep going out, plunging them into darkness. It all adds up, but there’s a hushed, subtle quality. Karam wields his symbolism gracefully, tweaking what seems ordinary into poignant reflection.
Brigid’s parents are from a blue collar background, but they are kind and tolerant. They have no problem with Aimee’s lesbianism or Brigid’s boyfriend of color. Both Brigid and Aimee are more sophisticated than their folks, but Erik and Deidre are no dummies. Karam shows us the flaws and misery of each member of the Blake clan. Is Richard there for contrast? It’s not about expose’ or mockery, but if withholding to protect others is the way to go. They hang onto personal pain, and it saps them of their moxie. The Blakes are losing their sense of well-being, of identity, but they are no different than any of us. They are trying their best, but dread infects them like a secret virus. Karam manifests their malaise in one of the most intuitive, organic, powerful endings I’ve ever seen.
ATT Performing Arts Center presents The Humans, playing May 9th-20th, 2018. Winspear Opera House. 2403 Flora St, Dallas, Texas 75201. 214-978-2879. attpac.org.