When The Homecoming opened in London on June 3, 1965, Harold Pinter was already considered a major playwright in England, and ills new play was eagerly awaited. Harold Hobson, critic for the Sunday Times, who alone had championed Pinter's debut The Room and his 1958 The Birthday Party, had said then that "Mr. Pinter. . . possesses the most original, disturbing and arresting talent in theatrical London," and he predicted then that Pinter would make ills mark in theatre. The great success of The Caretaker in 1960, radio plays such as A Slight Ache, and short stage and television plays had fulfilled Hobson's predictions, and the word "Pinteresque" had already been coined to denote the playwright's style.

The Homecoming is a deeply disturbing play and the critics' reception reflected the drama's turmoil. B. A. Young of the Financial Times called the play "stark and humble" but also said that it is "monstrously...