The Humans
Closed 1h 35m
The Humans
85

The Humans NYC Reviews and Tickets

85%
(1424 Ratings)
Positive
91%
Mixed
7%
Negative
2%
Members say
Great acting, Absorbing, Great writing, Intelligent, Thought-provoking

About the Show

Roundabout Theatre Company's Off-Broadway hit production transferred to Broadway, where it won four 2016 Tony Awards including Best Play. Stephen Karam's ghost story/thriller explores the way we humans cope with our biggest fears.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (1,424)

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55 Reviews | 11 Followers
100
Clever, Absorbing, Great acting, Great staging, Great writing

See it if you like excellent theater

Don't see it if You want something silly

102 Reviews | 46 Followers
100
Absorbing, Funny, Great acting, Clever, Heartbreaking

See it if you love great acting and funny/heart-wrenching drama

Don't see it if you have vertigo!

71 Reviews | 12 Followers
98
Absorbing, Exquisite, Funny, Masterful

See it if You like a good living room drama with lots of humor and tense moments

Don't see it if You are seeking pure entertainment without deep thought

58 Reviews | 36 Followers
98
Great acting, Great staging, Great writing, Relevant, Profound

See it if u want to see a great playwright transform the family-gathering-holiday-dinner play. With direction and a cast like this u get a masterpiece

Don't see it if your empathy doesn't extend to people to whom bad things happen, even if they bring it on themselves, or you can't identify with them

688 Reviews | 116 Followers
97
Great acting, Masterful, Relevant, Profound, Great staging

See it if The most intelligent, humane & heartwrenching play on Broadway at this moment. Flawless staging with impeccible acting make a modern classic

Don't see it if Nothing really goes wrong despite an occassional veering into Irish sentimentality. Ambiguous , rather radical ending may put off some

97 Reviews | 62 Followers
97
Ambitious, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if You want a show that is both specific and universal, one that could be talking about your family and all families. And is damn entertaining.

Don't see it if You don't like to be challenged in the theater or want simplistic plays.

336 Reviews | 46 Followers
97
Absorbing, Great acting, Great writing, Relevant

See it if you enjoy a really good drama mixed with comedy

Don't see it if you are not interested in seeing a show that touches on some pretty intense subject matter

89 Reviews | 29 Followers
97
Absorbing, Great writing, Profound, Riveting, Resonant

See it if you enjoy slice-of-life stories about truly real people, with real family issues. If you love emotional roller coasters, this one's for you.

Don't see it if you don't like family drama, or shows about the human condition. It can be slow at times, and there's a lot going on onstage.

Critic Reviews (75)

USA Today
February 18th, 2016

"'Humans' considers the trials its highly imperfect subjects face in a highly imperfect world, and resolves, without ever approaching sentimentality, that love is nonetheless resilient…Director Joe Mantello and his superb cast ensure that the affection is as palpable as the tensions that strain at the family's bonds...'Humans' addresses these questions with great compassion but offers no easy answers, casting a spell that's unsettling but also strangely reassuring."
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Newsday
February 18th, 2016

"There is so much love, dread, tenderness and brutality in 'The Humans' that it is hard to believe just 90 minutes pass through Stephen Karam’s deeply-felt family tragicomedy thriller...The move to a larger showcase feels right, enlarging the impact without losing the nuances of light and dark...On second viewing, the retelling of bad dreams now seems woven into a richer psychological carpet and the few plot threads that seemed undeveloped now feel beautifully wrought."
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NorthJersey.com
February 19th, 2016

“The comedy-drama is about the randomness of life, which can be terribly cruel, and the comfort received by belonging to a family…I appreciated the way the exemplary actors blended together with a special rapport. Under the masterful direction of Joe Mantello, they displayed the unmistakable rhythms of a family gathering:…‘The Humans’ doesn't suggest tomorrow will be a brighter day. What it does say is that, if we're part of a loving family, we won't have to face the bad stuff alone.”
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WNBC
February 18th, 2016

"Sensitively staged by Joe Mantello, 'The Humans' transpires in real-time, as one uninterrupted 95-minute act...Karam paints such a dynamic portrait of real life that I could only sit and absorb the insecurities and frailties batted around on stage. 'The Humans' is monumentally affecting, and something for which theatergoers should be oh-so-very thankful."
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Out Magazine
February 29th, 2016

"Bouts of affection are expressed, but only along with culture clashes, putdowns, and revelations on the order of illness and infidelity. That’s pretty standard for a family drama, but the play laces that with crackling dialogue which has your sympathies shifting between the characters...A remarkable and feisty work that’s one of the year’s best."
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Manhattan Digest
April 6th, 2016

"Watching 'The Humans' is like being a fly on the wall...Karam paints the most realistic characters who relate to one another in a non-sensational, but wholly compelling way. It doesn’t hurt that director Joe Mantello has assembled one of the best casts currently represented on a Broadway stage. There exists a universal component here that is remarkable...When the curtain falls, you have no choice but to leave 'The Humans' with a life-altering worldview."
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W
February 19th, 2016

“Stephen Karam's insightful, melancholy, it's funny-because-it's-true drama ‘The Humans’ is about the fears of one family…Joe Mantello, directing the outstanding original cast, balances everyday irritations and genuine eerieness delicately, so that it simultaneously feels mysteriously fable-like and grounded in reality…That's what's so beautiful and moving about ‘The Humans.’ This family doesn't just take each other apart — they put each other back together again.”
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The Associated Press
February 18th, 2016

"The dark comedy opened Thursday at the Helen Hayes Theatre with a terrific cast and an unsentimental look at the way we live today — anxiety-ridden, having little control over our environment or bodies, forever stretched and always a step from the abyss. It is an absolute triumph."
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