The set, based on the original design by Dan Joy and brought to life by Paddo and Seamus Devine (two of Art Devine’s sons), is a sight to behold. Audiences walk into the theater seeing a stage split effortlessly down the middle. One side is a classic Massachusetts bar and the other is a spotless barracks with an Airborne insignia painted on the floor. Set pieces are rigged on a fly system, allowing for on-the-dime swaps between scenes. The details that have been put into every nook and cranny do not go unnoticed. Chain link fences surrounding the penitentiary blend seamlessly into the structure of the set and a well-placed toilet, one could swear has working plumbing, resides in the back “hallway.” The bar itself feels just like walking into a memory, with the broken pool cues hanging on the wall, a bottle opener behind the bar and a framed picture of the very first production in 2001

Macklin perfectly embodies the brash, outspoken Fienberg, just as Elijah Corbin captures the nerdy, brainy essence of Doucette. The contrast between the two characters is both striking and remarkable, even more so as the two characters evolve through the show. As the audience is taken through the parallel lives — one man in prison, the other in boot camp then war — the ensemble cast takes on three or more roles each. They are all spectacular. It’s remarkably easy to distinguish the locales of each scene by their brilliant and sometimes heart-wrenching performances. The fabulously intricate set is the original from 2001 designed by Dan Joy. Tim Healy’s exceptional sound design was utilized again too, and I would buy the soundtrack if it was released tomorrow! Robin McLaughlin’s costume design was spot-on; details are her forte and the details here add another layer to the story because they draw similar yet distinct parallels to each story.

From that moment on, the play absolutely explodes with action, with pathos, with sound. It’s Larry Doucette (Elijah Corbin), a diffident young man in town, who at the beginning finds himself in a rough-and-tumble pool hall, looking for gangster-wannabee Richie Feinberg (Macklin Devine). Doucette has clearly done his homework and seems to know already that Feinberg will agree to switch roles and go to Vietnam; presumably he thinks prison is the better alternative. And from that moment on, the play absolutely explodes with action, with pathos, with sound.