A Short Wake by Derek Murphy, strongly directed and clearly staged by Ludovica Villar-Hauser, gives us two twisted brothers from a deteriorated gangster family, powerfully, believably played by Peter Bradbury and Brandon Williams, at the funeral of their father whom they hated. It's an imaginative conflict dipping into the past of a working gangster and his lawyer brother and their earlier life with their miserable, alcoholic father and angry drunk mother who died young.
Estranged for twenty years, the brothers meet at their father's coffin, and Murphy's writing takes us a step beyond the simple conflict as he mixes wit with the drama.
The set, by CJ Howard, nicely defines the funeral parlor. Lighting by Kia Rogers is just right, as are the costumes by Jenny D. Green. A vivid theatrical experience.
