This play has so many nice surprises in it. While the setting is familiar enough -- a holiday gathering of family members who could not be more different, with all the hopes and disappointments you might expect -- the story quickly takes unexpected turns, laying bare more disappointment and hurt than some characters even knew they had. There are lots of laughs along the way, but they sharpen the poignance of what's happening. Great roles for actors, simple to produce, and deeply heartfelt -- a winning combination!

It’s interesting to read a play and then experience it in production. Nuances may be lost in a director’s interpretation while insight not caught on the page may be brought into focus. Such was my experience with this deeply moving family drama; while it’s fun being on the outside looking in, the Hamiltons are one group with whom you do not want to spend Thanksgiving. It’s Ruyle’s gift that he keeps all their machinations spinning seamlessly in short, nearly cinematic bursts of sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking dysfunction, on page and on stage.

Great characters in a situation that was immediately recognizable to me--a family that has vast differences, and plenty of secrets, while still really caring for each other, coming together at the "family home" for the holidays. A couple of really solid and funny auxiliary characters that flesh out a thoughtful and very funny script. I loved the mountain-town setting and could practically smell the food coming out of Ma's kitchen and the coffee at the Sit-A-Spell Cafe.