The very purpose of theatre is to understand the human experience—and that doesn't just mean the experience of people who think and believe the same way we do. In a time when politics is so polarizing, it is incredibly important to perform plays like this! To look at all sides of the story and view from the audience how quickly and insensibly we let things escalate. This play is perfect for theatres that want to open up political discussions without leaning on a particular bias. The dialogue is spectacular! The tension and pacing are equally wonderful.

I saw somewhere that folks w/ADHD won't follow rules they think are stupid. To them, they're nonsensical. But on the flip, rules they don't think are stupid? They will follow those to the death. And rage if other people don't. But that doesn't really apply to just neurodivergents does it? Ruyle's play is a pressure cooker, a perfect example of what might all too easily happen if you trap enough different viewpoints in one place. No one thinks they're the villain. And it takes a nuanced, delicate hand to navigate. Are we up to the task? Excellent chamber drama.

Ruyle makes a melting pot out of a cabin then turns it into a pot-boiler. The ingredients are the four characters, a weekend getaway, a potential hookup, a good-samaritan gesture, and a lost-and-wounded authority. It's a hodgepodge but it works like a magic trick, because everyone gets suspicious of everyone else just by their being themselves. Opposites attract, flip sides align. It's remarkable thematic work for looking at our country today and considering the values we hold in order to coexist. The dialogue never lets up, the character work follows through, and the lost-in-translation provides laughs. Wonderful contemporary piece.