Reed Birney, Jayne Houdyshell & More Tapped for Stephen Karam's The Humans Off-Broadway

Tony nominees Reed Birney and Jayne Houdyshell (who can currently be seen in Fish in the Dark) will star in the off-Broadway premiere of Stephen Karam’s The Humans. Joe Mantello will direct the production as part of Roundabout’s New Play Initiative. Performances will begin on September 30 at off-Broadway’s Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center. It will open officially on October 25 and run through December 27.

In addition to Birney and Houdyshell, who will play Erik and Deirdre, the cast will include Cassie Beck as Aimee, Greg Keller as Richard, Sarah Steele as Brigid and Joyce Van Patten as Fiona “Momo” Blake.” The production will feature sets by David Zinn, costumes by Sarah Laux, lighting by Justin Townsend and sound design by Fitz Patton.

Birney recently appeared on the New York stage in I’m Gonna Pray For You So Hard and You Got Older. He received a Tony nomination last year for his performance in Casa Valentina. His additional Broadway credits include Picnic and Gemini. Houdyshell earned Tony nods for Follies and Well; she has also appeared in Romeo and Juliet, Dead Accounts and Wicked. Beck’s Broadway credits include Picnic and The Norman Conquests. Keller has appeared on Broadway in Wit and off-Broadway in Of Good Stock, Belleville and The Seagull. Steele recently appeared on Broadway in The Country House. Van Patten returns to the Roundabout after appearing in The People in the Picture.

Karam, who returns to Roundabout after their 2011 production of Sons of the Prophet, first premiered his play at Chicago’s American Theater Company in November 2014. It follows Mr. Blake, who, after a sleepless night, brings his family from Pennsylvania to his daughter’s new apartment to celebrate Thanksgiving. Family tensions reach a boiling point as things start to go bump in the night.