Highly praised on the Edinburgh Fringe, Gerald Murphy's play turns out to be yet another attack on the dysfunctional Irish male. Although it's well acted by Rough Magic's cast of four and the dialogue is lively, I couldn't help wishing that Murphy had dug deeper to tell us what exactly has gone wrong with modern Ireland that it produces so many sad male saps.
The action is confined to the suspiciously tidy Dublin flat of Bren, a security guard who is addicted to porn. His territory is invaded first by his younger brothers, Andy and Kev, and then by the patriarchal Eddie, who has arranged a family visit to their hospitalised mother. But it turns out that the mother is not as sick as Eddie claims, that he is using the family as a negotiating tactic and that Andy, a disgruntled welder, and Kev, a supposed computer programmer, are on their uppers.
In one sense, Murphy is trying to write an Irish version of Festen - an exposure of the secrets and lies that are part of family life. But the sexual revelations, when they come, are nowhere near as shocking as in the Danish masterpiece. And, although Murphy makes it clear that the brothers are all damaged products of a loveless family, he never analyses the source of the problem. Drink and religion, those old standbys, are scarcely mentioned. And one can only assume there is some connection between Ireland's materialism and the breakdown of family life.
Admittedly, Lynne Parker's well-paced production is strongly acted. Vincent McCabe's Eddie is all hollow bluster, Aidan Kelly's Andy suggests a volcano on the verge of eruption and Barry Ward's Kev has a callow, invertebrate charm. Best of all is Joe Hanley's Bren, who guards his pristine patch with nervous anxiety.
But, as with so many 90-minute plays, we get a dramatic crisis without much social analysis. I couldn't help thinking wistfully back to Tom Murphy's A Whistle in the Dark, which really explored the wounded Irish male psyche.
· Until March 5. Box office: 020-7610 4224.
