The Humans
by Stephen Karam

Name: The Humans
Brand: Stephen Karam
SKU: 9780822235279
Rating: 3.91 (1508 reviews)

BroadwayOff-BroadwayOff-West End

The Humans Book Cover — The Humans Cover

Highlights

Small Cast

Female

Male

105 minsPresent DayRole(s) for Senior Actor(s)Unit Set/Multiple SettingsContemporary Costumes/Street ClothesAmerican Comedy

Awards & Recognition

Drama Desk AwardObie AwardOuter Critics CirclePulitzer PrizeTony Award

Winner! Four 2016 Tony Awards, including Best Play Finalist: 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama Winner! 2016 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Play Winner! Four 2016 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding play Winner! Two 2016 Obie Awards, including Best Play

What readers are saying

Readers appreciate the nuanced exploration of family dynamics and the authenticity of the characters in this play. Many note its ability to evoke a range of emotions, from humor to discomfort, making it a relatable and impactful experience. However, a few find the ending ambiguous or feel that the play reads differently than it performs on stage.

Authentic portrayal of family dynamicsEmotional and relatableHumor mixed with discomfortEnding may feel ambiguous

Synopsis

Winner of the 2016 Tony Award for Best Play

Finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Winner of the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Broadway Play

Winner of the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play

“THE BEST PLAY OF THE YEAR” --

The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Magazine, Chicago Tribune, The Hollywood Reporter, Time Out New York, NPR "Drawn in subtle but indelible strokes, Mr. Karam's play might almost qualify as deep-delving reportage, so clearly does it illuminate the current, tremor-ridden landscape of contemporary America.

The finest new play of the Broadway season so far — by a long shot."—Charles Isherwood, The New York Times

Breaking with tradition, Erik Blake has brought his Pennsylvania family to celebrate Thanksgiving at his daughter's apartment in lower Manhattan.

Unfolding over a single scene, this "delirious tragicomedy" (

Chicago Sun-Times

) by acclaimed young playwright Stephen Karam "infuses the traditional kitchen-sink family drama with qualities of horror in his portentous and penetrating work of psychological unease" (

Variety

), creating an indelible family portrait.

Stephen Karam's plays include Speech & Debate and Sons of the Prophet

, a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize and the winner of the 2012 Drama Critics Circle, Outer Critics Circle, Lucille Lortel and Hull-Warriner awards for Best Play.

Born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, he now lives in New York City, New York.

Press Reviews

"The Humans explores, across an enthralling spectrum of ups and downs, what being a family is all about."
— The Washington Post

"Wrackingly funny even as it pummels the heart and scares the bejesus out of you."
— New York Magazine

"[An] inestimably kind, rich and beautiful play…truly remarkable and exceptionally moving… Few writers of his generation have achieved anything quite like The Humans, a play about the horrors of ordinary life and the love we need to counter them."
— Chicago Tribune

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Deirdre Blake 61, Erik‘s wife	female	—	61, Erik‘s wife
Aimee Blake 34, their daughter	female	—	34, their daughter
Brigid Blake 26, their daughter	female	—	26, their daughter
Fiona “Momo” Blake 79, Erik‘s mother	female	—	79, Erik‘s mother
Richard Saad 38, Brigid‘s boyfriend Author's Note: The Humans explores the fears of a middle class family – not necessarily a white middle class family. Though the family‘s heritage draws from my own background (I am half Irish-American, half Lebanese-American), the primary obsession of the play isn’t unpacking of the Irish-American experience; as such, I hope families of all ethnicities will be gathered around the table in future productions. The casting of actors of color shouldn’t be viewed as a radical concept, nor one that requires the author’s permission.	—	—	38, Brigid‘s boyfriend Author's Note: The Humans explores the fears of a middle class family – not necessarily a white middle class family. Though the family‘s heritage draws from my own background (I am half Irish-American, half Lebanese-American), the primary obsession of the play isn’t unpacking of the Irish-American experience; as such, I hope families of all ethnicities will be gathered around the table in future productions. The casting of actors of color shouldn’t be viewed as a radical concept, nor one that requires the author’s permission.
Erik Blake 60	—	—	60