Neil LaBute’s In a Dark Dark House delights in the grizzlier side of life, touching on child abuse, drug addiction and a hint of paedophilia. It is a relentlessly reflective play, unpicking the effect of an issue-ridden childhood on two unlucky brothers. Steven Mackintosh and David Morrissey throw everything they’ve got at the script, but their parts slip away from them, as the flamboyant script gets bogged down by its own agenda. The play is revived by a buzzing and awkward midway scene, with a fearless Kira Sternbach injecting life and humour into the play. This crackling scene aside, the production proves a stodgy and draining affair, despite the controversy it so gleefully courts.

We open with a stage overflowing with vegetation – the closest to Kew Gardens I’ve yet to see on stage. It is an exceptionally elaborate set, which, though pretty, adds little other than the odd distraction. Over-compensation is a common feature here, with both Mackintosh and Morrissey straining to bring a little colour to their roles. It’s not that there isn’t anything to explore here, but it is all discussed in such a conventional manner that it ends up feeling strangely commonplace.

The scene with Sternbach is so distinctive and so successful, because it is the first and only time we look at things from an angle. Everything is suggested but nothing confirmed and the scene bursts with sexual tension and brutal wit as a result. It is the teenager who fits best in this play; her age and relative innocence finding a new and effective language in which to voice the play’s concerns.

Ultimately this feels like a prolonged form of therapy - one that remains bizarrely indifferent to its patient. It is restricted by the opening scene at rehab, which establishes a predilection for psychobabble that is never shaken off. Near the end we get to some interesting stuff, when LaBute floats the idea that this abuse was the best love Terry ever had. It is a chilling possibility and one that is dropped quickly: despite hovering around some shady stuff, this play only hints at a deeper darkness it seems reluctant to confront.

Till 17 January 2009