Homeless together

I really like the concept of Brooke Berman’s new play Hunting and Gathering. Although her approach to the subject would hardly make sense beyond the limits of the city of New York, the concept of settling in life and its relation with founding oneself a home is universal. Those who don’t fit into the golden dream of succeeding in our contemporary Western modus agendi are left clueless to look for a place where they belong – and one could either let go and build something out of the remains or arm him(her)self for the hunt of what their want. What I dislike in Hunting and Gathering is the superficiality and the search for a sitcom-like cuteness. Some dialogues hit home beautifully but the next moment is drowned with gags that may entertain some but finally leads us astray from any conclusions the author could have proposed about the theme of her play.

The staging is simple, but intelligently crafted. Berman has a good hand for creating instantly recognizable characters – those are people who remind you of people you know – and, if her cast does not feature any outstanding actor, they are all really congenial and likeable, particularly Keira Naughton and Michael Chernus.