The Humans has been highly touted this season. Is it worth seeing? Absolutely; just don’t be fooled by thinking this is a feel-good comedy. There are laughs, yes, but this is at heart a dark tale about a family desperately trying to survive in troubled times. Transferred from Off-Broadway, the production has been kept intact. This is good news for the audience; the cast is breathtakingly good, and director Joe Mantello skillfully guides them across the tightrope of humor and tragedy. The Blake family is gathered for Thanksgiving at the new apartment of daughter Brigid (Sarah Steele), who is living with boyfriend Rich (Arian Moayed) because it make more sense economically. She confides in her sister Aimee (Cassie Beck), who is suffering both physically and emotionally. Aimee has a serious condition which is going to involve drastic action, and worse, she can no longer count on her former girlfriend, whom she obviously still loves. Dad Erik (Reed Birney) is the staunch, and at times rather cold, stereotype of the father who seems to disapprove of any deviation of what’s right, namely that Brigid should be going to church, and she and Rich should be married if they’re living together. His wife Deirdre (Jayne Houdyshell) is concerned, nurturing, at times overbearing. She is the caretaker of Erik’s mom, known as “Momo,” who is wheelchair dependent and deep in the throes of dementia. This Irish family makes a valiant effort to come together, sing a familiar song, and say grace while for one brief moment, they can convince themselves they are a normal family. It doesn’t last long. his show would be worth watching for the actors alone. Especially noteworthy are Sarah Steele, who injects a sweetness into what could otherwise be a bitter, unsympathetic role. Steele is always exceptional, and fans of the TV show “The Good Wife” will recognize her as the worldly wise daughter of Alan Cumming’s Eli Gold. With the right vehicle, there is no doubt she will be a star. Jayne Houdyshell is an actress who is incapable of making a bad move onstage. No matter the role, she is honest and captivatingly watchable. Her Deirdre is desperately working to do the right thing under almost unbearable circumstances. When Reed Birney shows us the underlying fear and confusion that Erik feels, it’s heartbreaking. So is Aimee’s holiday phone call to her beloved; Cassie Beck gives an acting lesson on how to make a one-way phone conversation onstage sheer perfection. Lauren Klein captures facets of what happens when a vibrant woman loses a once active mind. She never overplays, but allows the audience to accept a violent outburst because we come to care about this frail old woman. In fact, we become emotionally involved with the entire Blake family. We wish good things for them, and we hope, for them and for ourselves, that if we somehow can be there for one another, everything may work out okay after all.
