“The Humans”: I Agree With Teachout
Stephen Karam‘s “The Humans” has transferred from off-Broadway to Broadway. Most critics are deliriously in love with this play, but don’t count me among them. I agree wholeheartedly with Terry Teachout’s review in the Wall Street Journal: ‘I can’t quite figure out what all the shouting was about. It’s a kitchen-sink family drama about a Thanksgiving dinner gone wrong.’ I was interested in the play until roughly the halfway point, when something occurred that made me think: if this were a TV show, I would be changing the channel pronto. All the same, I’m happy that “The Humans” has it’s Broadway moment — too few new plays make it there. Reading the Playbill credits, however, I have to laugh at how absurdly ego-mad Broadway has become: there are more than 20 producers listed for a play running at Broadway’s smallest house, the Helen Hayes. And since it’s not a great season for new plays on Broadway, that will make for a crowded stage when “The Humans” wins the Tony for Best Play.
