Steven (Ned Costello) runs a graffiti-cleaning business. He employs his younger, artistic, alcoholic brother Barry (Joseph Potter) to keep him out of trouble.
Steven’s pregnant wife Debbie (Katie Buchholz) interrogates her husband about his unexplained absences while the boys’ fearsome mother Liz (Kacey Ainsworth) keeps the lid of the past screwed tight.
Although the brothers have entirely different personalities, they both have the same demons, conjured by their father whose premature death remains a mystery until late in the play.
The legacy of abuse is now a familiar dramatic theme but Ridley’s handling of familial lies, denials and misdirection is as sharp as a freshly stropped razor.
An austere set consisting of four black benches is sufficient for a quartet of terrific actors to navigate Ridley’s piercing play with astonishing authority. Director Max Harrison’s lean revival punches well above its weight. Catch it while you can.
