The Ellis siblings, Chris (Brian P. Murphy) and Les (Brian McManamon), are hiding a secret that has haunted them for almost two decades, which has left Chris mentally unstable and has turned Les into his guardian, preventing him from developing meaningful relationships of his own. The brothers commemorate this event every year in a location they refer to as “the clearing” (wonderfully evoked through Daniel Zimmerman’s set design); a hidden spot up in the mountains where they roast marshmallows, practice their wolf howls and cherish the presence of a ghost they both fear and cherish.

When Les falls in love with photographer Peter (Gene Gallerano), who with the flash of his smile and camera, seems to promise him a new beginning, Chris takes a turn for the worst, forcing his brother to make the most important decision of his life. As written by Jake Jeppson, the play works like a psychological thriller in which the audience is involved in trying to solve a mystery that might not have the easiest of solutions. But Jeppson is too clever a writer to allow this enigma to take over the importance of his characters and halfway through the play you realize that the mystery is nothing but a good old fashioned MacGuffin. Jeppson is more interested in revealing the humanity within these characters, than in turning them into pawns in a melodramatic board game.

Director Josh Hecht does a splendid job staging the show and despite a few distracting stylistic flourishes, he keeps his audience completely captive (you can hear collective giggles and gasps that almost seem rehearsed) and his work with the cast is nothing short of terrific. Allison Daugherty as Chris and Les’ mother, Ella, is given the most beautiful scene in the play, in which she bares her soul in a way that’s unexpected and endlessly touching due to the strangeness of the situation, while Murphy is a revelation; turning Chris into a man-child completely unaware of his capacities. The actor brings an extreme physicality to the part (his mannerisms obviously aided by his career in pugilism) which he cleverly balances with moving line deliveries; his Chris is someone you can’t help but fear, pity and love at the same time, and he makes this visit to “The Clearing” practically unforgettable.