SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Back in the 1950s and 60s there was a type of theater commonly called “kitchen sink realism.”
The plays took place in a shabby kitchen where family secrets and resulting dysfunctions were revealed.
Tomorrow night, Home Made Theater opens “The Humans,” a play by Stephen Karam, which is a descendant of that genre. Except for the fact that instead of a kitchen, the play uses a two-tier performing set, all the other elements are the same.
The apartment is an important factor in the production. Because of the space limitations of the Dee Sarno Theater in the Saratoga Arts Center, scenic designer Bridget Jansen has found a creative, one-level solution to the height issue.
“The Humans” is about a family gathering to celebrate Thanksgiving in a Chinatown, New York apartment of one of their daughters. She and her older boyfriend recently moved in. Also present is her sister, who was just dumped by her long-time girlfriend. Their parents just drove up from Scranton, PA with the father’s wheel chair-confined mother who is suffering from Alzheimer’s.
In a recent telephone interview with David Skeele who plays the father, Eric, and Jocelyn Khoury who plays his wife, Deirdre, it becomes clear that this is an ensemble piece that relates to the issues and social dilemmas of several generations.
Says Khoury, a mother of two young men in college as well as an eight year old son, says, “It’s about a family loving each other and caring about what matters to each person.”
Skeele gets a bit more analytical, which seems natural for a man who recently retired from a 30 year career of teaching theater at Slippery Rock College in PA. He says, “It’s about human frailties and the resentments that, over time, surface in times of stress.”
Though each insists there is no leading role in the play, as the heads of the family and the people on stage whose life experiences most closely reflect those in the audience, they are undeniably the major focus of the play.
And, as true to the kitchen sink format, there is a secret they share. In fact, when revealed in the play, the first instinct is to wonder why they stayed together. The second is to question whether they will continue to remain married.
Again, both are emphatic that there is no question the two do love each other and for many reasons are bound together.
Khoury describes Deirdre as “a woman who was taught to serve. She is a compulsive volunteer who gets a lot of joy from being useful.” About the state of their marriage, she says, “I believe she forgives him for any indiscretions.” She tellingly adds, “But, she won’t let him forget,” explaining her character has “passive-aggressive tendencies” that can acerbate the relationship.
Skeele believes the two do love each other. “They’ve been together so long, they know each other so well that they will never break up the marriage. It’s also a matter of what the family means to him. He cannot conceive of life alone.” He points to the fact that he and Deirdre are devout practicing Roman Catholics, which plays an important role in their relationship.
He uses Eric as a symbol of the family’s attitude towards problems. “He is definitely in crisis, but like so many people in our society he believes that if he denies the problems and just focuses on being happy everything is going to be OK. He’s dangerously stoic in his denial.”
As an actor he finds this trait stressful to portray. “I have to play one thing on the surface knowing the baggage the character is carrying underneath.” He says the challenge as an actor is showing the man’s inner conflict without putting it on full display. It’s no wonder, a man with more than 50 acting credits calls this “the toughest role I’ve ever played.”
Deirdre has similar undercurrents with her portrayal. In the play, she is described as having an eating issue which Khoury relates to the woman’s need for affection. “She feeds her needs through eating,” she says.
Explaining further, she continues, “After many years of marriage there’s been a loss of connection between them. She still has a longing for passion and an intimate connection. Instead, we have a relationship based on friendship and familiarity.”
As for playing the role, she says it’s been a challenge because while there are similarities – like volunteering and love of family – they are totally different people. She does joke that her husband might find the passive-aggressive digs also similar, but she says she understands and has deep affection for Deirdre.
Both are veteran actors who are newcomers to the Home Made Theater stage. They are unanimous in expressing the pleasure at being in a play they think of as insightful, challenging and most of all loving.
Khoury, speaking for both of them, says, “I hope the audience gets as much from the play as we have.”
“The Humans” produced by Home Made Theater plays at the Saratoga Arts Center, weekends April 19-28. For tickets and schedule information go to homemadetheater.org
