Home: The Human Spirit Captured Onstage

We got to see Home this past weekend, a much anticipated play written by the late Samm-Art Williams and directed by Kenny Leon.

The theater was packed full, everyone eagerly waiting to experience this unique coming-of-age story told with only three cast members.

Tori Kittles plays the story’s central character, Cephus MIles. We follow Cephus from childhood throughout his life to old age. Brittany Inge and Stori Ayer play over 40 characters as they come in and out of Cephus’ life – some as central to his story as his love, Patti Mae, and others fleeting but just as impactful, such as the barkeep at a bar he wanders into once. In just 90 minutes, Home weaves a heart wrenching tale about a man who has his whole life ahead of him  and overcomes decades-long hurdles that the world continues to throw at him. 

Just as he enters adulthood, Cephus is set to inherit his grandfather’s sprawling farm in Crossroads, North Caroline, and can’t wait to marry his sweetheart Patti Mae. Until Patti Mae goes off to college and marries a rich man, and Cephus loses his farm after being jailed for his pacifist beliefs.

Reeling from the loss of the life he thought he’d lead, Cephus hightails it to New York City in hopes of an adventure and maybe a better life – a story many of us are familiar with and have lived ourselves in a twisted context.

In the city, the years go by. Some fast, some short, and before long Cephus has lived many different lives and grown weathered. Through a stroke of good fortune, he takes the greyhound bus home to Crossroads and life comes full circle in an unexpected way. 

Home tells a unique story about a man going through life in a specific place, at a specific point in time. However, the play’s themes ring true in everyone’s story, real or fiction. Youthful exuberance, true love, misfortune and luck, failure despite dedication, standing up for your beliefs… These are feelings many of us have experienced, and stand the test of time – they are key tenets of humanity. While the specifics and details of Home do indeed tell the story of the “unbreakable spirit of all Americans,” it also illustrates the experience of all peoples across the globe. Don’t miss this captivating performance at the Roundabout Theatre. 

Home opened to the public on June 5th and currently runs through July 21st. Buy tickets now at Roundabout Theatre’s website and learn more at Broadway’s official website.