America's Taste of Honey

I spent the afternoon under blossoming cherry trees with these four gutsy young people who are currently living together as roommates. They are, from left, Trent, his pregnant girlfriend Tia (due in July), Tia’s brother Sham (who is gay and proud of it), and their friend Jennifer. They work, when they can find work, at minimum wage jobs in the fast food business. They have no sick leave, health insurance, or job security. When the baby comes, they imagine they might move to Washington State, where they hope they can find lower rent. If you know Shelagh Delaney’s brilliant play, A Taste of Honey, you know them. They are the contemporary American working class, and they are as close as I can imagine to the characters from Salford, England who were the basis for Delaney’s vision.