The Humans (Revised TCG Edition)

This is by far one of the best plays that I have ever read. Nothing really happens throughout the 130+ pages, but it's so natural, so realistic, so... human. The dialogue just flows so nicely and it's so interesting to experience another families traditions, inside jokes, and circumstances. It really feels like you are having dinner with this family. Definitely worth a read.

“Don’tcha think it should cost less to be alive?” That line, which concludes the father's speech to his daughter's new live-in boyfriend, captures much of what this play is about. Karam gets at the financial stress that burdens the middle-class in this period of stagnation. Jobs and pensions lost, dead-end jobs stoically endured for decades, caring for an aging parent while still holding down full-time jobs, etc. Karam shows the interconnections between these economic woes and the social and psychological burdens the family members also face: allegiance to one's childhood faith, struggles with weight, chronic health issues, the fear of NYC after 9-11, recovering from depression, use of anti-depressants, class differences, the importance of marriage, etc. Karam wonderfully avoids hitting one over the head with any of these issues; instead, they are subtly (and often humorously) invoked during conversations. What Karam doesn't make a conflict is also significant; we see here a family that has no problem with their daughter's/sister's homosexuality. Instead, each is incredibly supportive (mom even brings up scissoring during dinner). Nor is the young woman's depression due to her sexuality; instead, Karam suggests it has to due with the intersection of her ulcerative colitis and her worries about finding a new partner for life.Karam tackles these issues through comedy-drama instead of tragedy. This family supports one another, but they can also make some great jokes about each other. I haven't seen this on-stage yet, but Karam gives a good amount of text that is supposed to be conveyed non-verbally, and comedic actors and directors could do a lot with this. This comedy in the face of financial, social, and psychological burdens, along with the family members' support and lack of hate for one another, characterize this play. Other key characteristics include the set design (kind of a cross-section of the two floors and four rooms of this apartment, where action often occurs simultaneously) and the use of what Freud calls the uncanny (which Karam quotes as an epigram to the book). The use of the uncanny (think "hauntings") comes to a head at the very end of the play and is surprisingly nicely in tension with the incredible realism of the set (including the noises old apartments make) and the dialogue (characters often leave lines unfinished and interrupt each other).I would highly recommend reading this play, and I can't wait to see it performed.

I think the end tried to hard to seem meaningful. It's an absolutely beautiful play that shows a real, flawed family in all it's beauty, but I don't think the playwright knew how to end a play that was more about the moment of living with these characters than anything seriously symbolic. I don't have a problem with the ending, I just hope that it doesn't encourage more discussion than it deserves.

So glad to have this brilliant family drama. Awkward and full of love and secrets, the way most families find themselves to be.Grandma is at once hilarious, and sad. Exactly what so many people of our times are juggling-career, relationships, both personal and within family structure, and how to best handle an aging grandparent. This small play is huge in its portrayal of the intense emotions involved with carrying on despite disappointments in life

Haunting, painful, and one of the best new plays of the past 20 years.

Good play, but doesn't read as strongly as I assume the staged version is. Would love to see the show in person.

THE HUMANS is everything the critics said it was. It is heartwarming, sad, funny, and scary all mixed together. I read this play and can see my own family having these discussions at Thanksgiving or Christmas. What an outstanding play.

Great service and a big surprise to read a post-it with a message with a really nice note.

Brilliant concept for a play. Looking forward to seeing it at The Citadel in Edmonton next month.

商品に問題はありませんでしたが届くのが書いてあるより少し遅かったです。観劇前に読みたかったため残念です。

Humans es la ganadora a la mejor obra de texto este año 2916 en los premios Tony de Nueva York. Finalista tambien en el premio Pulitzer. Interesante trabajo.