Billy's daughters shot him dead. Thier mother is delighted. Why?
With the dead Billy soliloquising from the grave, and the story of the three woman emerging through monologues and conversations with police, lawyers and psychiatrists, a harrowing story of abuse and endurance is pieced together, and silences that prolonged the tragedy.
Built up in a starway of short scenes, the play's structure builds up the pressure, but can also feel a bit disjoined. Gordon Russell's Billy never quite manages to convey the sense of menace required, but Anna Dobson as older daughter Susan is excellent as the pressure cooker that has to blow. There are four supporting actors playing the minor role, and their wooden performances were an unfortunate distraction.
Despite these flaws this is still an intriguing and disturbing tale, raising not just the issue of abuse itself, but the conspiracy of silence that so often allows it to thrive. Worth a look.
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