The Homecoming
Mary Arrchie Theater Company - February 2011
Performed at Angel Island Theater, Chicago
By Harold Pinter
“Recognizing the importance of pauses and gestures, director Geoff Button’s superb cast manages to capture not only the menace underlying the character’s interactions, but also the sometimes awkward dark comedy of Harold Pinter’s script. The result is a riveting two-hour production that feels much shorter, as the six actors relish each bit of malice they toss at each other within the walls of their threadbare living room.”
– Zach Freeman, New City
“In Mary-Arrchie Theatre’s loft storefront, director Geoff Button crafts an absurdly detailed production that hits all of the most vital aspects of this play dead on. The comedy and relationships are sharp. The rhythm of Pinter’s dialogue is surgically articulated. The sexually charged faceoffs are bubbling. Ultimately, this Homecoming stays with you after exiting out onto Sheridan Road… One of the strongest elements of this production is Button’s staging. His attention to proximity between characters tugs and pulls at the tension. There is a time when a pause plays better at ten feet and other times where it is more effective at three inches. Button plays with this notion to its fullest extent and creates visually telling pictures… Button and his cast excel at making the unrealistic dangerously truthful.”
– Scotty Zacher, Chicago Theater Beat
“Whatever interpretation you impose on these events, there is no denying that this brand of up-close-and-nuanced interaction is tailor-made for the Angel Island loft… Director Geoff Button is likewise well-versed in the misanthropic culture of the English working classes—expertise contributing to clearly-defined characters with immediately discernible motives.”
– Mary Shen Barnidge, Windy City Times
- Directed by Geoff Button
- Scenic and Lighting Design by Amanda Sweger
- Costume Design by Izumi Inaba
- Sound Design by Joe Court
- Stage Managed by Mary Patchell
