Gloria has met Charles (Eric Sirakian) the younger brother at his school and learnt about Joseph’s family and wants him to write the history of his family so she can publish it.  He declines and she threatens Joseph with withdrawing his health insurance. The Douaihys are related to Khalil Gibran, the famous Lebanese author of The Prophet. The scenes in this play have the same titles as some of the chapter headings in The Prophet.

The very first scene, the prologue saw the shadow of a deer in the road and heard a car crash trying to avoid it.  Joseph’s father was the driver of the car and is in hospital.  It was a prank and the perpetrator is Vin (Raphael Akuwudike), a very promising high school sportsman.  As Joseph’s father has died as a result of a heart attack, the family will be involved in deciding how Vin should be punished. 

Both Charles and Joseph are gay. Added to the brothers’ sorrows is the arrival of Uncle Bill (Raad Rawi) who says he has come to look after them.  Charles is 18 and Joseph is 29 and really Bill needs looking after himself and is outrageously politically incorrect.  I did laugh at the one-liners but a sense of gloom overtook me at the lack of health care available to people no longer employed in the steel industry of Pennsylvania.  

As Timothy, Jack Holden, after the sensational Cruise, makes a welcome return to the stage as a gay reporter and boyfriend.