I love to read! I love that a book can take us to places far away and utterly different from our own, or be so similar to our lives they help us reflect on the things that are important to us. What I love most about books though is their ability to make us experience a wide range of emotions. But, as a busy mom reading is, sadly, on the bottom of my list and I have been reading the same book for weeks. For me, the theater has that same ability to pull me in, and in a single evening, I can experience an entire story. The Humans is no exception and might have just written the book on emotion and theatre.
The Humans takes place Thanksgiving Day in an apartment in Lower Manhattan where the Blake family has gathered to give thanks. It is full of love, compassion and humor, but with an important reminder that we are all human - full of anxiety, fear, stress, and struggle. All of the characters in this working class, Irish American family are real and rich but Therese Plaehn's character Aimee stuck with me long after the show was over. A successful lawyer battling an invisible chronic illness that interferes with her job dealing with the separation from her girlfriend Aimee is more keenly aware of everyone else's struggles than anyone else in the family. The connection and dynamics between Aimee and her sister Brigid are particularly striking and heartfelt. I was so drawn in by her performance that I had to learn a little more about Plaehn. It turns out she is from Scituate and is also a 1997 graduate of Notre Dame Academy in Hingham connections that make the show even more special for audience members from the South Shore.
The Humans is playing now through March 25th at the Boch Center's Shubert Theatre. It is a production you don't want to miss so find a babysitter, purchase your tickets and spend an evening absorbing this Tony Award-winning play. Don't forget you use the code WRITE and 20% on tickets to select performances (3/15 7:30pm, 3/18 6:30pm, 3/20 7:30pm, 3/21 2:00pm, 3/21 7:30pm, 3/22 7:30pm ) while supplies last.
Note - The author received press tickets for the purpose writing of this article. No additional compensation was received, and the thoughts and opinions are that of the author.
