If you’ve never observed the ugliness of the all-male household in operation, it's on full display in Harold Pinter’s scathing 1965 play “The Homecoming,” onstage through March 27 at North Coast Repertory Theatre.
David Ellenstein directs this Tony-winning family horror show involving only four British men and the American wife of one of them.
The older generation is represented by two brothers: 70-year-old patriarch Max (Frank Corrado) and his 50-some brother Sam (James Newcomb). They argue about, you know, power.
Also on hand are Max’s three sons: Lenny (Richard Baird), a pimp in his early 30s; mid-20s Joey (Justin Gordon), currently working in demolition but training to be a boxer; and mid-30s Teddy (Bruce Turk), the somewhat stuffy Ph.D emigré who’s been living and teaching in the U.S. for some years.
The action is prompted by the arrival of Teddy and his wife Ruth (Melanie Lora), visiting the old homestead for unknown reasons.
It’s a top-notch cast, and the look of the show is spot-on (thanks to Marty Burnett’s set and Elisa Benzoni’s costumes). Aaron Rumley’s sound design is excellent, Phillip Korth contributes appropriate props, and Victoria Hanlin’s dialect coaching has them sounding properly British.
Pinter isn’t known for jolly comedies, but this is extreme even by his standards. The verbal ugliness never stops, and the appearance of Ruth gives the guys yet another outlet for meanness.
When the talk gets down to “a good bang on the back seat,” and Joey calls Ruth a “tart,” Teddy the academic gets ticked and decides it’s time to get back home to his normal life. He packs their suitcases. Then something even more incredible happens.
Pinter is one of the most influential of English dramatists, and the New York production of this play earned four Tonys. If you’re looking for a play about one-upmanship that questions our notions of family and marriage, “The Homecoming” isn’t a bad place to start. It’s just extremely difficult to watch.
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