Osbourne it appears doesn't do middle ground. There is no playing safe where his work is concerned. A dark drama written when he was barely a man himself, it is loaded with big subjects for the audience to draw upon. Good and evil, man's search for God, beauty unto the beholder, living in parental shadows, teenage pregnancy, a mother's love, her wifely duty, i could go on. At times it felt like i was watching a scene from the film American Beauty. The turmoil around the dining table became almost unbearable to watch. All the while Mrs Prosser tries hard to alleviate the stress and discomfort that broods inside her husband. If she can just smooth things over with a timely pot of tea and slice of cake. If she can just keep the running of her guest house swift and seamless then perhaps we will never notice the sufferance she is unduly under. The light relief of the bubbly and bounteous house help Mrs Evans - brilliantly portrayed by Rachel Lumberg, was gratefully received.

Then there is the stark realisation of Dilys' unwanted pregnancy. Whilst Mena Suvari cleverly seduces an older and rather weary Kevin Spacey, there is not so much charm or luck bestowed upon the servant girl Dilys. In realising the fast escape of her seducer Mr. Stevens, she descends rapidly into hysteria at the thought of having to break the news to her father.

Fathers loom heavily throughout the play. Just as Huw has to contend with the incessant damning of his own father, so the audience hear the local priest's protestations on cleanliness, man's need to be free of sin before we meet our almighty father, Lord God. By the end of the first act i was left unnerved by the line "people hate what they can't understand". Agnostics may well proclaim their reasons for skepticism having watched this play. The character of Mr. Burn lends a shining contrast upon the heavy tyrants and again i was left thawing sighs of gratitude as he passionately defended the tortured Huw. Mr. Burn seems to be the only character willing to recognize and celebrate the young boy's fragility, innocence and gift of poetry.

Congratulations to all cast members who did well to bring the icy chill of Osbourne's world into our warm seats. I thought Iwan's portrayal of Huw Prosser was outstanding. Not an easy part to play, but delivered brilliantly. A stunning moment at the end saw him ascend the staircase which he had so often run up to escape the world. As the set unfolded i could hear gasps from the audience. A howling grey sky and pathless void to the heavens. At last perhaps Huw was free to wander the night as he wished? Had he arrived at the foot of freedom ready to meet his creator? All i sensed was that his plight to "feel the soft hand of love" was finally close by.