Mysterious Skin

Scott Heim’s cultish novel and subsequent film by Gregg Araki, has been adapted for the stage, in a powerful, uncompromising version by Prince Gomolvilas. Set in Kansas, the story charts the parallel lives of unworldly college geek, Brian Lackey and sexually assured, teenage hustler, Neil McCormick. The boys are inextricably linked by a traumatic event from the past, which will eventually bring them together.

In an uneven cast, there are strong central performances from Danny Worters and Rick Kissick. Whether it is the fault of the adaptation or of this prodution, there is an awful lot going on. It could well be the curse of the Fringe time slot constraints. That clutter tends to get in the way of the development of the main characters and their stories.

However, the final scene in Peter Darney’s production is raw and affecting.