Home (Williams play)
{{Short description|1979 play by Samm-Art Williams}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox play
| name = Home
| image =HomePlayBwayPoster.jpg
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| caption =2024 Broadway Revival Promotional Poster
| writer = Samm-Art Williams
| chorus =
| characters = Cephus Miles
Patty Mae Wells
Woman Two
| mute =
| setting = North Carolina, 1950s
| premiere = 1979
| place = St. Mark's Playhouse
| orig_lang = English
| series =
| subject =
| genre = Drama
| web =
|last_play=}}
Home is a dramatic stage play written by American playwright Samm-Art Williams. The play originally premiered on Broadway at the Cort Theatre on May 7, 1980. The play enjoyed critical and financial success, being nominated for the Drama Desk Award and Tony Award for Best Play and running for a total of 278 performances.{{Cite web|url=https://www.playbill.com/production/home-cort-theatre-vault-0000003500#carousel-cell161184|title=Home (Broadway, James Earl Jones Theatre, 1980) | Playbill|access-date=2024-03-30|archive-date=2024-03-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330115348/https://www.playbill.com/production/home-cort-theatre-vault-0000003500#carousel-cell161184|url-status=live}}{{Cite news |date=April 15, 1980 |title='Home' to Reopen at Cort; Previews Begin April 29 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/04/15/archives/home-to-reopen-at-cort-previews-begin-april-29.html |access-date=March 12, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313013805/https://www.nytimes.com/1980/04/15/archives/home-to-reopen-at-cort-previews-begin-april-29.html |url-status=live }}
The play was revived on Broadway in 2024, directed by Kenny Leon, as part of the Roundabout Theatre Company's season at the Todd Haimes Theatre. The revival opened on June 5, 2024.{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Greg |date=2024-03-29 |title=Broadway Cast Set For Kenny Leon-Directed 'Home' |url=https://deadline.com/2024/03/broadway-home-kenny-leon-1235871676/ |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-03-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330030530/https://deadline.com/2024/03/broadway-home-kenny-leon-1235871676/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Greg |date=December 6, 2023 |title=Kenny Leon-Directed 'Home' Sets June 2024 Broadway Opening |url=https://deadline.com/2023/12/home-opening-date-broadway-1235654767/ |access-date=March 12, 2024 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date=March 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313013806/https://deadline.com/2023/12/home-opening-date-broadway-1235654767/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last1=Gans |first1=Andrew |last2=Harms |first2=Talaura |date=March 29, 2024 |title=See Who's Starring in Roundabout's Broadway Revival of Home, Directed by Kenny Leon |url=https://playbill.com/article/see-whos-starring-in-roundabouts-broadway-revival-of-home-directed-by-kenny-leon |access-date=March 29, 2024 |website=Playbill |archive-date=March 30, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330013141/https://playbill.com/article/see-whos-starring-in-roundabouts-broadway-revival-of-home-directed-by-kenny-leon |url-status=live }}
Characters
- Cephus Miles, a young southern farmer
- Patty Mae Wells/Woman One, a young southern woman, girlfriend of Cephus
- Woman Two, plays various characters in Cephus and Patty Mae's lives
Original cast and characters
| class="wikitable"
|+ ! rowspan="2" |Character !Off-Broadway !Broadway !Broadway Revival |
| 1979
!1980 !2024 |
|---|
| scope=row|Cephus Miles
| colspan="2" align="center" |Charles Brown | align="center" |Tory Kittles |
| scope=row|Patty Mae Wells
| colspan="2" align="center" |L. Scott Caldwell | align="center" |Brittany Inge |
| scope=row|Woman Two
| colspan="2" align="center" |Michele Shay | align="center" |Stori Ayers |
Production history
= Broadway (1980) =
The play was originally produced Off-Broadway by the Negro Ensemble Company, later transferring to Broadway. The original Broadway production was directed by Douglas Turner Ward. For his performance in the original production, Charles Brown was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.{{Cite web|url=https://playbill.com/article/charles-brown-tony-nominee-for-king-hedley-ii-dead-at-57-com-117576|title=Charles Brown, Tony Nominee for King Hedley II, Dead at 57 | Playbill|access-date=2024-03-30|archive-date=2024-03-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330224125/https://playbill.com/article/charles-brown-tony-nominee-for-king-hedley-ii-dead-at-57-com-117576|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title=1980 Tony Awards Nominations |url=https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/year/1980/category/any/show/any/ |access-date=March 12, 2024 |website= |publisher=American Theatre Wing |language=en-US |archive-date=December 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229130639/https://www.tonyawards.com/nominees/year/1980/category/any/show/any/ |url-status=live }} In the notes of the play script, Williams dedicated the play to the people of Burgaw, North Carolina and his mother, Valdosia Williams.{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Samm-Art |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2WQ-80HGNMcC |title=Home: A Play |date=1980 |publisher=Dramatists Play Service, Inc. |isbn=978-0-8222-0527-2 |language=en}}
= Broadway revival (2024) =
A revival of the play was announced to be part of Roundabout Theatre Company's season, directed by Kenny Leon. This was the show's first Broadway revival since the original closed on January 4, 1981. The production began previews on May 17, 2024 and officially opened on June 5.{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/2023-2024-season/home/ |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=www.roundabouttheatre.org |language=en |archive-date=2024-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328103723/https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/2023-2024-season/home/ |url-status=live }}
The production received a Drama League Award nomination for Best Revival of a Play, along with Stori Ayers receiving a nomination for Distinguished Performance.{{Cite web |last=Culwell-Block |first=Logan |date=April 22, 2025 |title=2025 Drama League Awards Nominations Are Out; Read the Full List |url=https://playbill.com/article/2025-drama-league-awards-nominations-are-out-read-the-full-list |access-date=April 23, 2025 |website=Playbill}} It also was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play.{{cite web|title=Boop! Leads 2025 Drama Desk Award Nominations With 11 Nods Including Outstanding Musical; Read the Full List Here|first=Logan|last=Culwell-Block|date=April 30, 2025|url=https://playbill.com/article/boop-leads-2025-drama-desk-award-nominations-with-11-nods-including-outstanding-musical-read-the-full-list-here|access-date=May 1, 2025}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/2023-2024-season/home/}}
- {{IBDB title|10194}}