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    Theater Review

    The Humans proves the worth of quality, simple storytelling on stage

    Alex Bentley
    May 10, 2018 | 1:15 pm

    The over-the-top nature of many theater productions can make you forget the value of a simple story told well. A play doesn’t have to have big production values or a complicated plot to be great; all it really needs is strong dialogue and actors that can deliver the lines in a highly engaging manner.

     

     The Humans, which won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Play, has those two elements in spades. Its premise is basic: The Blake family, originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania, gathers at their daughter’s apartment in New York City for Thanksgiving. The entire play takes place inside that apartment, but it explores issues far beyond its cramped spaces.

     

    Patriarch Erik (Richard Thomas) is dealing with issues surrounding his job and a planned new house, while mother Dierdre (Pamela Reed) is dejected at how she's not appreciated enough in her job. They both have their hands full dealing with Erik’s mom, Momo (Lauren Klein), who is incapacitated with Alzheimer's disease. Older sister Aimee (Therese Plaehn) has a medical condition that’s adversely affecting her entire life, while younger sister Brigid (Daisy Eagan) and her boyfriend, Richard (Luis Vega), are just trying to get on their feet in their new Chinatown apartment.

     

    The reason the play, written by Stephen Karam and directed by Joe Mantello, works so well is that it can be viewed through multiple prisms. There’s the surface-level view, which is the hilarious, poignant, and sometimes dramatic directions the family’s conversation takes during dinner — something to which many people can relate.

     

    But Karam brings up so many deeper points throughout the play that it’s nearly impossible to ignore them. The family appears to be lower middle-class, and the strain of their finances impacts every aspect of their lives. They also have a personal connection to the events on 9/11, something that is still disrupting their psyches years later. Reference is even made to the effect Hurricane Sandy had on Chinatown, which is perhaps why Brigid and Richard were able to get their apartment.

     

    That apartment itself could be considered its own character. The set, designed by David Zinn, is cut into a cross-section, allowing the audience to see both the upstairs and downstairs at the same time. Mantello uses this to great effect, often separating the characters and having them engage in simultaneous conversations. The ping-pong nature of trying to figure out who’s talking to whom is a rare experience in the theater.

     

    The cumulative result is a play that is personal yet worldly. The joys and fears the family experiences are at once unique to them, but also universal. Karam occasionally uses overlapping dialogue, resulting in a wonderful chaos. But he also knows when to pull back, letting his actors ruminate in a temporary, necessary silence.

     

    As if all of that wasn’t enough, national tour audiences have the unusual treat of seeing two well-known actors perform for them. Walton, best known for The Waltons, and Reed, of Kindergarten Cop fame, bring you in with their familiarity but wow you with their acting prowess. They are matched by the rest of the stellar cast, with Eagan, Plaehn, and Vega each getting their time to shine. Klein, who originated her role on Broadway, has what could be the thankless role of the mostly mute Momo, but she plays it for all it’s worth.

     

     The Humans is a play that is unforgettable in a multitude of ways. It has no need for histrionics or metaphors or other theatrical tricks. It’s a simple story told with a high degree of precision, one that hits the mark on nearly every level.

     

    -----

     

    The Humans plays at the Winspear Opera House through May 20.

    The cast of The Humans.

    The Humans
      
    Photo by Julieta Cervantes
    The cast of The Humans.
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    Theater Critic Picks

    From Wilde to 'The Wiz': 8 unmissable July shows in North Texas

    Lindsey Wilson
    Jul 2, 2025 | 10:18 am
    Second Thought Theatre presents Your Wife’s Dead Body
    Photo courtesy of Second Thought Theatre
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    Your instinct during the summer might be to hide out in an air-conditioned theater, and there are plenty of options to do exactly this month. But we would be remiss if we didn't remind you about a North Texas tradition: Shakespeare under the stars. Pack a picnic, bring a blanket, and watch The Bard (and this year Oscar Wilde) at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater with Shakespeare Dallas. Both shows opened in June, but continue through most of July.

    Here are eight shows local shows, listed in order of start date:

    The Importance of Being Earnest
    Shakespeare Dallas, through July 18 extended to July 26
    This witty romantic comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed in 1895, tells the story of two men who assume the identities of a fictional man named Ernest. This leads them to each fall in love and encounter an assortment of comical problems along the way.

    Othello
    Shakespeare Dallas, through July 20
    In this Shakespearean tragedy, Othello is at the peak of his powers: not only Venice's greatest general but also husband to the noble and beautiful Desdemona. But he does not know that in passing over his servant Iago for promotion, he has created a deadly but brilliant enemy. This production is set in an alternate-history version of the 1990s in which the Venetian empire is the predominant political, military, and economic power.

    King Kirby
    American Chronicle Theatre Co., July 4-12
    This is the story of Jack "King of Comics" Kirby. The play follows him from the tough Jewish ghetto of Hell’s Kitchen in New York, to the harrowing battlefields of Normandy during WWII, to tense Senate hearings in the 1950s. Watch as he creates some of the most iconic heroes in pop culture: Captain America, Thor, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Iron Man, the New Gods, and countless others.

    Your Wife’s Dead Body
    Second Thought Theatre, July 9-26
    Written by Second Though Theatre artistic associate Jenny Ledel in her playwriting premiere, the play takes place in the near future, as Jane takes advantage of a new AI technology that would extend her lifespan ... even if she's not around to see it for herself.

    The Wiz
    Broadway at the Bass, July 15-20
    This all-new production of the groundbreaking, Tony Award-winning musical returns “home” in an all-new pre-Broadway tour, the first one in 40 years. The groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway, from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and finger-snapping '70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world.

    Noises Off
    Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas, July 18-August 2
    This play-within-a-play captures a touring theater troupe’s production of Nothing On in three stages: dress rehearsal, the opening performance, and a performance towards the end of a debilitating run. Playwright Michael Frayn gives a window into the inner workings of theatre behind-the-scenes, progressing from flubbed lines and missed cues in the dress rehearsal to mounting friction between cast members in the final performance.

    Everybody's Talking About Jamie
    Uptown Players, July 18-August 3
    Inspired by true events, this musical tells the inspiring story of Jamie New, a 16-year-old boy from Sheffield who dreams of becoming a drag queen. His loving mom showers him with endless support but it's not all rainbows for Jamie as his deadbeat dad and some ignorant school kids attempt to rain on his sensational aspirations.

    Shucked
    Broadway at the Bass, July 29-August 3
    This Tony Award-winning musical comedy features a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn, a score by the Grammy Award-winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and direction by Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien. The corn-fed, corn-bred American musical is sure to satisfy an appetite for great musical theater.

    broadway at the bassmusicalsnational tourplayssecond thought theatreuptown playersshakespeare under starsshakespeare in the parktheater
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