Now even after countless “Pinteresque” imitations, _The Homecoming_ is just as original, powerful and controversial as ever. A new generation can experience it in a unique production at the HSU Studio Theatre, beginning Feb. 25, directed by John Heckel and produced by the HSU Department of Theatre, Film and Dance.
The story seems unpromising: A philosophy professor at an American college returns for a visit to his working class London family, to introduce his wife to his father, uncle and two brothers.
This simple premise becomes incendiary theatre, though with few obvious fireworks. By means of apparently ordinary if slightly odd conversation, the play gradually reveals multiple deceptions and self-deceptions beneath the prosaic surface, suggesting in several ways a hidden underworld.
“I think there’s a huge difference between reading this play and seeing this play,” director John Heckel said. What seems literal and realistic on the page may take on a different feeling in performance.
“The story and the style pulls you in,” he added. “In the safe space of the theatre, it brings people into the presence of some powerful, shadowy stuff, and maybe they can reflect on their own relationships. It’s also funny—if you can give yourself permission to laugh.”
Harold Pinter died just over a year ago (on Christmas Eve 2008), three years after winning the Nobel Prize for Literature for a career that spanned a half century. “In celebration of his life and creative efforts,” Heckel said, “we’re sharing what some consider his best play, and certainly one of his most controversial.”
It was also revolutionary. “The Homecoming changed my life,” remembered theatre critic John Lahr. “Before the play, I thought words were just vessels of meaning; after it, I saw them as weapons of defense. Before, I thought theatre was about the spoken; after, I understood the eloquence of the unspoken … The play’s spectacular combination of mystery and rigor had taught me something new about life, about language, about the nature of dramatic storytelling.”
John Heckel decided to stage this production in the unusual venue of the Studio Theatre. “The Studio has inadvertently lost its status as an experimental space,” he said. “It used to present more invigorating efforts. That’s one reason I chose to do this play there. The Studio Theatre also provides a more intimate relationship between actors and audience.”
The cast features students Emily Ruebl (Ruth, the wife), Colin Trevino-O’Dell (Teddy, the professor), Anthony DePage (Sam, the uncle) and Brandon McDaniel (Joey, a brother), as well as local actors Jabari Morgan (Lenny, a brother) and Arnold Waddell (Max, the father.)
Set design is by Henry Echeverria, costumes by Laura Rhineheart, and lighting by David Kenworthy.
The Homecoming by Harold Pinter is performed Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, February 25-27 and March 4-6 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday March 7 at 2 pm, in the Studio Theatre on the HSU campus in Arcata. Tickets are $10, $8 students and seniors, with a limited number of free seats to HSU students for each performance, from the HSU Box Office (826-3928) or at the door. http://HSUStage.blogspot.com Produced by the HSU Department of Theatre, Film & Dance.