The slightly surreal set and the general lighthearted mood of the crowd at the Detroit Repertory Theatre won’t prepare one for the theater’s newest production, the unexpectedly stark two-character play Homeless and How We Got That Way. The show begins with two actors sharing the stage, communicating nonverbally for the first few minutes. Tension builds as they share glances and begin to set up their individual camps on separate benches. Alert audience members might infer from their body language that these two characters have a bit of history together. As naturally as if they’ve known each other for years (though neither can remember exactly how long they’ve known each other), they begin a conversation and the man offers to share his bottle of whiskey. “We’re drunks, it’s what we do,” and quick punch lines come one after another as the two devise their plans for the evening, which at first consists of finishing one bottle, then leads to finishing two more. As the moon rises (along with their intoxication levels), they begin to reveal in nonlinear details the stories of their pasts, first how and then why they became drunkards and homeless.

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