The Homecoming Cast

The Homecoming cast has varied through the decades, as this Harold Pinter play has been represented in both Europe and America. The London premiere featured the following players: Paul Rogers as Max, Ian Holm as Lenny, John Normington as Sam, Terence Rigby as Joey, Michael Bryant as Teddy, and Vivien Merchant as Ruth, and it was directed by Peter Hall. Ian Holm is probably the best known among them, having appeared in the films Robin and Marian, Chariots of Fire, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, The Madness of King George, eXistenZ, From Hell, and others. This same cast, with the exception of Michael Bryant, took part of the play's original Broadway run, where Holm won the Tony Award for best featured actor in a play.

The 40th anniversary of the Broadway premiere was celebrated with two revivals. The first was a BBC Radio 3 broadcast with Harold Pinter (the playwright) as Max, Michael Gambon as Sam, Rupert Graves as Teddy, Samuel West as Lenny, James Alexandrou as Joey, and Gina McKee as Ruth. Gambon, in particular, has had a very active career in both stage and cinema, and is also well known to younger generations as Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series. However, he is probably most remembered as the psychopathic Albert Spica in The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover.

The second revival was a triumphant return to Broadway, starring James Frain as Teddy, Ian McShane as Max, Raul Esparza as Lenny, Michael McKean as Sam, Eve Best as Ruth, and Gareth Saxe as Joey. McShane gained recognition as Al Swearengen in the HBO drama Deadwood, and also co-starred in Sexy Beast and Scoop. McKean made a name for himself in Saturday Night Live, and has appeared in movies such as This is Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind, and For Your Consideration.