Dueling Critics: Harold Pinter’s ‘The Homecoming’ brings family dysfunction to the stage

Dueling Critics: Harold Pinter’s ‘The Homecoming’ brings family dysfunction to the stage
'The Homecoming' is playing at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre through April 10. Photo courtesy of the Mary-Arrchie Theater Company
Dueling Critics: Harold Pinter’s ‘The Homecoming’ brings family dysfunction to the stage
'The Homecoming' is playing at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre through April 10. Photo courtesy of the Mary-Arrchie Theater Company

Dueling Critics: Harold Pinter’s ‘The Homecoming’ brings family dysfunction to the stage

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If every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way then theater seems hell bent on showing us each and every one of them. From Shakespeare to Tracy Letts, playwrights know that that “D” in dysfunctional rhymes with the “D” in drama.

Harold Pinter is no exception. Take his Tony Award-winning play, The Homecoming. Max, an ex-butcher, is the volatile head of house. He lives with his brother Sam, and his own sons - mean Lenny and wanna-be boxer Joey. The men appear to barely tolerate each other. And when a third son and his wife enter the picture, drama and dysfunction ensue.

Eight Forty-Eight’s Dueling Critics Jonathan Abarbanel and Kelly Kleiman gave their review.

The Homecoming plays at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre through April 10.