On Tuesday we watched “The Humans” at The Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. The play showed the Blake family enjoying Thanksgiving at their youngest daughter’s new apartment. I really enjoyed how the play showed a very normal family going through very relatable struggles. A dad losing his job, a daughter grieving a breakup, another daughter struggling to pursue her passion, and a mother struggling to uphold certain values in the family. The setting of the play was also very realistic- a noisy New York City apartment where you could hear your neighbors’ affairs whether they are doing the laundry or partying. Most of the other performances we attended as a class had a very dramatic plot, it was nice for a change to see a play simply depicting ‘Humans’ as the name suggests. There was no general killing his wife out of jealousy or a daughter seeking to kill her mother- it was just a family eating dinner and going through everyday struggles presented in our society. One would imagine that a play of this kind might be boring, however the relationships between each of the characters added depth and humor into the play.
The mother was definitely my favorite character. She added the humorous element into the play with her snarky comments towards her daughters. There were several moments throughout the play that were very relatable to me like the back and forth arguments between the mother and Brigid. I also liked how she would constantly bring up religion and marriage into the conversation. It is clear that the mother values these ideas and tries to enforce them into her daughter’s lives. However, the girls do not view these ideas as relevant and refuse to apply them into their lives. This clash accurately depicts the difference between the two generations. It is very realistic to the situation today. Youth develop new ideas depending on the environment and obtain a different mindset from their parents.
While the play is humorous it also sheds light on very important issues affecting the middle class, such as unemployment and student debt. Bridgette finds it very difficult to pursue her passion while also making enough money to support herself. She has to juggle between multiple jobs and collect unemployment benefits to afford basic necessities and to pay off student loans. Her dad also comments that she should’ve pursued a career in retail because today’s society makes it so difficult for individuals to thrive in their field of choice. Aimee is also getting laid off because of her sickness. While the father is fired from the school that he has devoted 40 years of his life towards and is not getting any pension. Several points throughout the play it is mentioned that he cannot afford a caretaker for Momo. Although the family is enjoying this one night together and have many things to be thankful for (as they mentioned while smashing the pig)- they are all fighting their own financial struggles.
Towards the end of the play, the situation becomes more chaotic. Aimee and Brigid feel betrayed by their father and storm out while Momo is having a fit due to her dementia. The father is eventually left alone in the dark apartment. However, Brigid informs her father that she will accompany them on the ride back home. This reassures the audience that the Blake family will still remain strong throughout the storm.
The other drama was so distracting, I nearly forgot about the amazing portrayal of the middle class! I agree that the play was able to convey that despite nice foods and such, some families still have to pinch pennies, usually because something out of their control happens, like sickness. I suppose that what also made Richard a great foil: he’s a man who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and no matter how down to earth he is, financially he’s going to be much better off in the future that the Blakes. The generational gap was also done very well,as said, since it wasn’t about new tech or such, but about new ideas! Lazy writers always go into the “back in my day” speech, but The Humans never mentioned that. It used various sentiments on issues like religion and therapy show the gap, a fact I would have missed had it not been brought up here. This review hit the nail on the head when talking about why The Humans was so real.