Rogue Machine presents “Human Error”

In my fifty-seven years of life, I’ve never seen this country so divided and tribalized. I think the media bears a lot of blame for this, referring to us as living in red or blue states and giving equal time on-air to known liars and criminals. That madness aside, regardless of whether we agree with each other, shared humanity is a constant, and that is always an important thing to remember. Eric Pfeffinger’s Human Error takes that message to heart, and the result is a funny, warm comedy. The West Coast premiere at Rogue Machine is very entertaining, benefiting hugely from an excellent cast.

Sameer (Kapil Talwalkar) and Madelyn (Kristen Vaganos) are intending to have a family, but then they receive unexpected bad news from the fertility clinic – their embryo has been implanted in a stranger’s uterus. After being informed that they can’t simply get the embryo back, they contact the other couple, Jim (Kiel Kennedy) and Heather (Lauren Burns), and make plans to meet. Sameer and Madelyn are liberal and quickly discover that Jim and Heather are conservative, which initially is off-putting to both couples. As time goes by, however, they all begin to like each other, until the revelation of one of their beliefs threatens to blow their friendships apart.

Talwalkar is likeable and manages to bring credibility to a role that could in lesser hands be a cliché – Sameer is introduced to us wearing an “I Am Kenough” t-shirt and works at a research facility that examines comedy. Vaganos excels as the stressed Madelyn, nailing the character’s solipsism in her delivery of lines such as: “I don’t want to be a parent. I just want to have a kid.”

Kennedy brings enormous energy and comedic talent to his performance as the well-meaning Jim, a man who can half-jokingly say that his 152-inch TV is “the most cherished love of my life.” Burns gives an outstanding and expertly funny performance as Heather, a kind and polite woman who prefers to be referred to as a “domestic engineer” and thinks of her new friends as “godless” but is also willing to carry another couple’s baby to term because she thinks it’s the right thing to do. Andrew Hawtry is quite amusing as the very uncomfortable Dr. Hoskins.

Director Joshua Bitton gets hilarious and three-dimensional performances from his ensemble, and his swift pacing keeps the laughter percolating. Christine Cover Ferro’s costume design adds a delightful specificity to the show’s tropes, from the already mentioned Barbie shirt to Heather’s American flag yoga pants.

Pfeffinger’s writing is undeniably funny, including exchanges such as this – “You’re not a socialist, right?” “Oh, no. I have a boat.” – and this jaw-dropper from Heather – “Jews are just Christians who never finished the book.” His heart is clearly in the right place in terms of trying to get audiences to remember our shared humanity, and it’s a very enjoyable show. It also seemed to me to be somewhat of a wishful fantasy. Trump is never mentioned in the play (as far as I can recall), and Heather’s actions are unbelievably saintly. There’s also a scene at the conclusion that really takes a turn into magical reality that didn’t quite work for me.

I liked Human Error a lot, and I recommend it as a skillful comedy. But as a description of where our country is at right now, I didn’t find it completely credible.

Human Error is presented by Rogue Machine at The Matrix Theatre on Melrose and plays through September 1, 2024. Tickets are available at their site.