Synopsis
The play is a day in the life of the Bramhall family. Bernard and Evelyn are the happily retired professional couple who appear to live a contented life in the country.
On this day they have invited their son and daughter and their partners to enjoy a family gathering. However, it soon becomes apparent that all is not well within the family. Richard, their son, is facing bankruptcy and Claudia, their daughter is having to cope with her husband, Frank, an army captain who has a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The question is, how did Richard’s business fail so miserably? The answer lies in the hands of his wife, Sonia, who has engineered a scheme to ruin her unfaithful husband.
The tension is further heightened when the bailiffs arrive to evict Richard and Evelyn whose house is owned by their son. Added to this is the fact that Frank is subject to heavy mood swings and he reveals that he has in his possession a service revolver, a constant threat to himself and all in the family.
The play ends with a single gunshot, but who is the victim?
On one level the play can be interpreted as a family not in balance, a family trying to untangle itself, a family that befalls a terrible tragedy; or, it could be viewed as an allegory of a nation during a period of austerity. |
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