REVIEW: All the discomforts of 'Home'

There is something decidedly British afoot at the Black Box Theatre.

Two tweedy gentlemen meet to exchange pleasantries and small talk. All is not as it seems, however, as offset by the arrival of two straight-talking women who lend an ominous note to the proceedings. What is the secret these very different people are hiding? Spoiler alert, it’s not that shocking.

At its core, “Home” is a ponderous and plodding exploration of human disconnectedness, shot through with amusing, if somewhat absurd, interchanges between five disparate and desperate characters. First performed in 1970, David Storey’s play has been compared to other “naturalist” offerings of the time, by the likes of Tom Stoppard and Harold Pinter. The difference may be that whereas Stoppard and Pinter almost always give the audience a payoff that benefits from the droll interchange between characters, the same cannot be said for Storey.

Harry and Jack, winningly portrayed by newcomer Nick Heeb and veteran Danny Wade, are two sides of the same coin. Harry is distracted and kinetic, prowling the stage with the intensity of a caged animal. Jack is voluble and expressive, tossing out non-sequiturs with practiced badinerie. Their banter reveals little of their situation, but is notable for its clipped vaudevillian pacing and the fact that, though they obviously know one another, they actually know very little about each other.

Enter Kathleen and Marjorie, cockney blatherskites adroitly played by veteran Jamie Bronstein and another newcomer, Sandra Williams. These two cynical babble merchants have a better grasp of why they’re in their situation, lending a sobering aspect to the whole. It becomes obvious that all four characters are being held against their will. Ah, yes, something is definitely afoot. If you, as audience member, can’t figure out what that situation is by the end of the first act, you probably haven’t been paying attention.

The addition of a fifth character in the second act – a physically confounding performance by yet another newcomer, Bob Alvarez – cements the “revelation,” while adding a somewhat menacing aspect to the proceedings. Sadly, the reveal isn’t nearly as disquieting as the story, and Storey, might suggest. In fact, short of a compassionate and somewhat awkward denouement, there are many questions left dangling that one wonders might have lent a little more heft to the proceedings.

Why, exactly, are all of these broken characters here? Their stories are convoluted and untidy, but we never get the payoff we’re expecting. It’s clear that none are innocent, but innocent of what? Their “crimes” are never really divulged; hence we are left wondering whether we should feel sorry for them or be glad they’ve been separated from the rest of humanity.

This is problematic, and if not for the understated and witty performances by the actors themselves, might leave some audience members wondering why they bothered. The real joy, it seems, comes from watching two veteran actors put promising newcomers through their paces, with admirable ease. It’s up to you to decide whether or not that is enough.

“Home” continues its run at the Black Box Theatre, Friday, Saturday and Sunday through March 17, 2024. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit the website at no-strings.org/