Synopsis

Autumn, 2000. In and around Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Pete stands at his father’s grave, a man haunted by loss and teetering on the edge of sanity. His brothers, Gary and Miles, orbit around him like worried satellites, each grappling with their own demons in the aftermath of their father’s death. As Pete spirals into a dangerous fantasy world, involving a vulnerable runaway named Carol, the play weaves a tapestry of working-class Sheffield life, where dreams are as fragile as the bonds holding this fractured family together.

Butler’s play pulses with raw energy, its dialogue a staccato rhythm of Northern English vernacular that crackles with tension and dark humor. Through a series of interconnected vignettes, we witness the brothers’ struggle to find meaning in a world that seems determined to grind them down. The structure mirrors the characters’ disjointed lives, jumping between locations and relationships with a restless urgency. Themes of masculinity in crisis, racial tension, and the long shadow of parental absence are explored with unflinching honesty. The tone oscillates between brutal realism and moments of surreal escapism, as characters cling to fantasies to avoid confronting harsh truths. Butler’s style is uncompromising, forcing us to sit with discomfort and challenging easy judgments about these complex, flawed individuals.