In a Dark Dark House

“Neil LaBute manages to make [an old idea] surprisingly surprising, a drama full of tension and secrets, revealing his wicked ear for contemporary talk.” —Toby Zinman, The Philadelphia Inquirer

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.

“Refreshingly reminds us . . . that [LaBute’s] talents go beyond glibly vicious storytelling and extend into thoughtful analyses of a world rotten with original sin.” —Ben Brantley, The New York Times

“It’s among LaBute’s most nakedly personal examinations of stunted males enmeshed in conflicts of intimacy, so much so that it almost self-consciously plays out as his own variation on motifs familiar from one of his most direct influences, Sam Shepard.” —The Hollywood Reporter

“LaBute takes us to shadowy places we don’t like to talk about, sometimes even to think about . . . In the riveting Dark House, [he] spins a tight story, practically shrink-wrapped in tension.” —Erin McClam, Newsday