“The truth hurts, don’t it?”
“I thought it set you free.” Well, it can do both, and sometimes the freedom itself is painful, and you would rather stay happily deceived. From Sophocles to Arthur Miller, the slow emergence of horrifying truths is one of the favourite themes of drama (from Oedipus to All My Sons).
The sharp and percipient Neil LaBute, giving London a world premiere of his latest play, directed by himself, uses the ancient terror of a forest on a dark and stormy night to give us the story of siblings (Matthew Fox and Olivia Williams) in conflict and uncomfortable revelation. We must all beware of spoilers, but LaBute’s writing rarely disappoints.
Vaudeville Theatre, London WC2 (0845 5058500), until June 4