Set in rural Suffolk ‘Stoopud F**ken Animals' revolves more around people than animals although the play does open with Charlie (passionately played by Carl Prekopp) attempting to persuade the older farmhand, Lefty, that he should kill his ageing bull (now suffering from testicular cancer) and buy some of Charlie's high quality bull sperm instead.
The crux of the story though centres around loss and lies with Charlie setting out on a journey to find the birth mother of his and his twin brother Dim. "Why did I change my name?" he shouts at Karen, whom he calls his Mum, and gradually we learn why the family unit of Karen and the twin brothers is so dysfunctional.
Leftie (played by Robert Goodale who is an accomplished guitarist) is also an entertainer and the show is interspersed with him singing and playing country western style songs in his ‘Last Legs' tour of pubs. Composed by Arthur Darvill, the songs reveal his plight in life.
The theatre in the Drill Hall is a very sophisticated large tent. There are no backstage facilities, the stage is semi-circular so the opportunity for set changes is limiting. But Becky Hurst, the designer, has created an imaginative, flexible set.
There are some poignant moments in this new play written by Joel Horwood, but it does at times have a disjointed feel. I anticipated a bloody ending, but the play concluded with a whimper, rather than a loud bark.
Times: 17 - 26 August (not 20), various times.