In a Dark Dark House
A Play
ISBN10: 0865479836
ISBN13: 9780865479838
Trade Paperback
112 Pages
$16.00
CA$22.00
Two brothers meet on the grounds of a private psychiatric facility. Drew, has been court-confined for observation and has called his older brother, Terry, to corroborate his claim of childhood sexual abuse by a young man from many summers ago. Drew's request releases barely-hidden animosities between the two: Is he using these repressed memories to save himself while smearing the name of his brother's friend? Through pain and acknowledged betrayal, the brothers come to grips with and begin to understand the legacy of abuse, both inside and outside their family home.
Reviews
Praise for In a Dark Dark House
"[LaBute] plots a darkly compelling tale about thirtysomething Drew (Ron Livingston) and his gruff older brother Terry (Frederick Weller), who visits him in the rehab facility where he landed after getting high and totaling his Porsche. LaBute's ear for dialogue is as fine-tuned as ever: As Drew reveals that his bad behavior is the result of childhood sexual abuse, Terry mocks him for using inanely juvenile words like 'bro' and 'dude.' LaBute also does a skillful job of reversing the brothers' relationship. At different moments, each seems like a pretty good guy, the other a total jerk, making the play a comparative study of two kinds of asshole."—Jeremy McCarter, New York magazine
"[LaBute's] view of modern men and women is unsparing . . . [He] is holding up a pitiless mirror to ourselves. We may not like what we see, but we can't deny that—if only in some dark corner of our souls—it is there."—Jacques le Sourd, The Journal News (White Plains, New York)
Reviews from Goodreads
BOOK EXCERPTS
Read an Excerpt
In a Dark Dark House
First Part
Silence. Darkness.
A manicured stretch of lawn surrounded by trees.
Several areas to sit (benches, chairs, etc.) on two levels, with stone steps leading down...