Can a baby bridge the great divide between liberals and conservatives in ‘Human Error’?
Conflict abounds throughout the inspired “Human Error.” Eric Pfeffinger’s comedic play is about two very different couples with the same problem – infertility – and the same goal – starting a family. There are the NPR devotees, with a taste for Starbucks, who are liberals. The other pair are proud conservatives, who are NRA members who tool around in trucks.
A funny thing – or is it a tragic thing – occurs on the way to childbirth. A fertility doctor’s blunder complicates their lives. The red-state wife is impregnated with the blue-state wife’s fertilized embryo.
The timing of the play, which debuted in Denver five years ago, is impeccable because America remains stubbornly divided. “Human Error,” which will run Friday through June 25 at Stage Left Theater, is certainly a production of the times.
Stage Left Theater director Susan Hardie happened upon the play while on a Rocky Mountain vacation five years ago. “My husband and I stumbled upon ‘Human Error’ in Denver and we fell in love with it,” Hardie said. “The one thing we can all agree on is that there is this great chasm, this incredible divide in our country. It’s political, social and economic. A comedy about this state of polarization is fantastic. The wonderful thing about this play is that it doesn’t get into politics, even though it debuted in the middle of the Trump years.”
“Human Error” is filled with humor, unpredictability and humanity. “The play deals intelligently with the divide,” Hardie said. “I love how people with seemingly nothing in common are forced to deal with a situation and they discover all of these common denominators.”
The couples discover that they’re not so different after all. “The beautiful thing about the play is that it’s clear that even if the couples never see each other again, that they have commonalities and they end up having a huge impact on each other.”
The couples’ preconceived, if you will, notions about each other, are incorrect. The walls constructed are knocked down, but there still is the issue of the baby implanted in the wrong uterus.
“ ‘Human Error’ is such a smart play and the way it ends is fascinating,” Hardie said. “It’s a great play for Spokane. It has universal appeal. The material is so pertinent right now. The more we talk about our differences and confront it, the better. We immediately judge people, and if we take the time to learn about each other, we’re often surprised. The play covers all of that and more.”
Hardie, 69, who has been directing plays since 1991, looks forward to the audience reaction.
“I can’t wait to see how ‘Human Error” goes over,” Hardie said. “I think people are really going to enjoy it. I remember what it was like when I left the theater in Denver. We enjoyed talking about it. There will definitely be some conversations after this play ends.”
Reach Ed Condran at edwardcondran@gmail.com.