Cast of The Homecoming Talks Back
BU wasn’t disappointed recently at the Cort Theatre after a performance of The Homecoming. The lively discussion led by Eric Bogosian included Ian McShane (Max), Michael McKean (Sam), James Frain (Teddy), Gareth Saxe (Joey). Together with the stage manager they took center stage to discuss this quirky play and field audience questions.
When discussing audience reaction, the group concurred with James Frain when he said, “We count the number of times we hear ‘Oh, Jesus’ from the audience” during the performance.
The cast said they have all created back stories for their respective characters but never share this information with each other. It seems to be a taboo to exchange character related thoughts with one another which they believe makes the play work better.
Michael McKean said he had just come up with something new involving “Sam,” but chose not to divulge any info.
Ian McShane, a close friend of Harold Pinter, said the playwright told him “to just go out there and have fun”. McShane believes that Lenny (Raul Esparza) and his character (Max) have many similarities.
The actors shrugged off the notion that Jesse, the deceased wife and mother referred to in the play, had been sexually involved with any of her sons.
Great cast, great discussion, and a great evening in the theatre!
March 1st, 2008 at 10:02 am
I saw The Homecoming and found it to be an excellent theatrical experience. The cast does an excellent job in conveying the dark humor of this misbegotten clan. It is a play that you can see more than once.