Set in a remote corner of neutral Ireland during World War II, Frank McGuinness's play crackles along multiple fault lines of conflict-gender, religion, sexual identity, and nationalism. Two American soldiers--one gay, one straight--and a British intelligence officer spend their last leave before heading to battle in the home of the Wests, which is soon full of romantic interludes and internecine squabbling. Kimberly Senior's Chicago premiere brings together an appealing cast (though some look a bit young for their world-weary roles), and they find the Chekhovian notes of regret threaded through the rough wit of McGuinness's dialogue. Kathleen Ruhl shines as Rima, the hard-drinking, truth-telling matriarch, and though the energy slackens in the second act, the terrific compassion McGuinness has for his characters never flags.
