I very much enjoyed the production of The Humans that we saw at the Roundabout Theater Company. I drew the conclusion from the past productions we saw that this one would also be a very dramatic display. Compared to the operas we saw as well as the Fall For Dance festival and Angela Hewitt’s performance, this production was the most relatable. The play was centered around an average, middle class family on Thanksgiving. The conversations that the cast members had, particularly the ones in which the mother was rambling, came across as comical to me, simply because they were so accurate in relation to my own familial interactions. The way in which the tensions in the family conversation escalated and then stabilized again was also very relatable. At every large family event and holiday, I have found that many snarky comments circulate and there are a lot of spontaneous arguments between family members. They usually deflate fairly quickly, as did most of the flare ups that occurred between the mother and the younger daughter. Occasionally, however, the tensions grew to a point of discomfort for both the characters and the audience. In one instance, I could feel the daughter’s embarrassment and resentment toward her boyfriend when she tried to dismiss her mother and he pursued the conversation further. The daughter then became silent and left the room. Another very relatable aspect of the play was the relationship between the sisters. I have three sisters myself and our conversations parallel those of the sisters in the performance. Whenever the sisters were talking, they were often sharing inside jokes and laughing in spite of their families. In other instances, the girls were supporting each other and defending each other against their parents. My sisters and I also defend each other when we want to team up against our parents or when we have opposing views with our parents. The end of the play was so interesting to me because the story drifted into a place where interpretation is necessary. My own interpretation of the father in the final scene was that he fulfilled his dream. I believe that the random old lady who was walking around was the “woman with no face” but also representative of his problems that he had not yet shared with his daughters. After he finally told them the truth and the rest of the family left the apartment, the old woman passes by the door of the apartment. As I interpreted it, the father then left the apartment and went down the hallway, essentially going into the tunnel that was in his dream. Although I am not entirely sure of the relevance between the two phenomena but it was a conclusion that I drew that left me thinking and reflecting. The fact that I had something to question and think about makes the play so much more significant and unforgettable to me. I found that the play was the most interesting performance to me out of the various productions we went to this semester.
I completely agree with you that the script for this play was really relatable in a way that wasn’t cliche. The scene that you felt embarrassed for the sister when she tried to dismiss her mother was the same scene that I cringed at because I could also feel her embarrassment. In that scene, I also found it really relatable because I have probably tried to do the same thing to my own mother countless times. Seeing the daughter do it, however, brought attention to my own hypocrisy in how I treat my own mom. There were many times in the play that the sisters would go off and talk poorly of their mother (ie. saying she has an eating problem or making fun of the articles that she sends). My siblings and I usually do the same thing to our parents without really thinking about it, but watching the play and seeing how the mother must feel definitely made me reflect on my own actions.
I can totally relate to how you feel, because I have two sisters myself and being able to stand up for each other is something very important. This play was very relatable because it showed the misunderstandings and issues between the children and the parents, and how the time period the parents lived in differs from the time period the kids are from. Though I bash on my parents myself, seeing someone else doing it to their parents made me sympathetic towards the parents, because I saw the play from the parents eyes and the parents were just trying to help. The play was a really big eyeopener to see how badly I treat my parents also. Though I may not have as much drama at my family Thanksgiving dinners, I can relate to the little gossips being said during dinner and etc. Overall the play showed a relatable family life, and the drama that comes with family.