Never heard of British playwright Jez Butterworth? Think Harold Pinter meets Martin McDonagh, with a little Quentin Tarantino thrown in.
Butterworth is a tough knacker to crack, but, for whatever reason, Paragon Theatre loves the guy. His testosterone-fueled comedy, “The Winterling,” is rich with menace and intentional ambiguity. No one even knows for sure what the title means. (Can it really be a crocus?)
On the surface, it’s easy enough to figure out what’s going on here: Three small-time hoodlums meet up in a muddy forest hovel, presumably to plan a job. But this isn’t about their future; it’s about us trying to figure out their pasts.
This much we know about the old gang: One’s gone mad (West), one’s gone married (Wally) — and one’s gone into the River Thames (Jerry).
Wally (Warren Sherrill) has now tracked down West (Jarrad Holbrook), an intimidating loon who’s squatting in this abandoned medieval farmhouse where, go figure, warplanes roar overhead and a mystery waif (Suzanne Favette) lives upstairs. Wally has brought along Patsy (Brandon Kruhm), the city-slicker son of his common-law wife, to take the spot vacated by dead jumper Jerry.
From there, you’re on your own, left to wade through classically Pinteresque dialogue that conceals as much as it reveals. Pinteresque is a term that gets too lightly tossed at every hack playwright who’s not good enough to connect two dots. But Butterworth is a true disciple. Pinter even starred in the film version of Butterworth’s “Mojo,” which Paragon staged in 2002.
Tension abounds like so many questions, each coming with half-answers. It seems Butterworth is just messing with us, especially with a middle scene that briefly takes us back to the previous winter. This is usually when a playwright gives up the ghost and answers all our questions. But Butterworth uses the device to add more layers of confusion. Roles are reversed. Lines are repeated for no apparent effect. The one reliable clue we get is that Jerry and Wally once tortured West in some kind of initiation. No wonder his feelings have been bruised.
So what we have here is not so much a reunion as a power- play confrontation that is, at moments, pure Python. The conversation is a series of slowly unfolding mysteries. But for every detail the play reveals, it muddles three more. Think of it as a British spaghetti Western filled with cheeky retorts (when you can make them out).
The top-notch acting is both subtle and complex. The boys bring a comic and often homoerotic danger to their macho interplay, which just adds to the absurd humor of it all.
Note David Lafont’s decrepit set with foliage growing through holes in the crumbling walls and Brian Freeland’s undulating sound rhythmically shifting from cacophony to utter silence.
Most impressive is the ever-improving Holbrook, who as West has the toughest job — arcing from pure swagger to the naked pain of a sad, crazy fool whose wee dog has run off to hide from all the noise. It’s kind of endearing to see West begin and end the play worried if his mutt has had enough to eat.
In a play that’s frustratingly void of empirical meaning, Butterworth offers one clue to his intent with an introductory quote from William Blake: “The dog starved at his master’s gate predicts the ruin of the state.”
But for a play that never even takes a stand on its own premise — What are these guys doing here? — each audience member must ask: Are these stakes that I care about?
This play is clearly an homage to Pinter. But with so many hacks producing unintentional Pinter knockoffs, Butterworth might best stick to his own voice.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“The Winterling” *** (out of four stars)
Presented by Paragon Theatre at Crossroads Theatre, 2590 Washington St. Written by Jez Butterworth. Directed by Taylor Gonda and Holly Ann Peterson. Starring Jarrad Holbrook, Warren Sherrill, Suzanne Favette, Brandon Kruhm and Leroy Leonard. Through Nov. 14. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. $17-$19 (2-for-1 Thursdays). 303-300-2210 or
This weekend’s best bet: “Trunks”
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“Trunks” is the kind of kid-friendly, adult-worthy children’s theater you don’t have to feel funny about going to, even if you don’t have any towheads in tow. Buntport Theater’s ongoing, biweekly, live comic-book serial about three young superheroes (and their parrot) returns for a fifth season. It’s silly and smart, with each new episode based on an audience-suggested book. Saturday, it’s “Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman.” New episodes every other Saturday through April, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Recommended for ages 4 and up. $5-$7 (take a dollar off if you come dressed as a superhero/villain). 717 Lipan St., Denver, 720-946-1388 or
The rest of this weekend’s openings
“Bunnicula” Chester the cat and Harold the dog sing and dance their way through the comic mystery of why the family’s produce is losing its juice. Through Oct. 30. Curtains Up, 3900 W. 32nd Ave., 720-308- 2920 or
“Face the City”The autobiographical adventure of an aspiring young actor who seeks fame in New York until he and three high- school friends are forced to come to terms with loss and false dreams. A one-man rock musical written and performed by Jesse Wilson, with music by Mad Francis. Through Sunday. Presented by Full Escape Productions at the Business of Arts Center, Venue 515, 513 Manitou Ave., Colorado Springs, 719-685-1861
“Ghostlight” Storytellers float from room to room in the historic Byers-Evans House reading excerpts from Michael R. Duran’s collection of theatrical ghost stories. Recommended for 14 and older. Through Oct. 31. Presented by Colorado Homegrown Tales at 1310 Bannock St., 720-233-0811 or
“Happy Hour” An evening of locally themed sketch comedy in the tradition of “Saturday Night Live.” Through Nov. 1. Backstage Theatre, 121 S. Ridge St., Breckenridge, 970-453-0199 or
“Picnic” William Inge’s steamy Pulitzer-winning romance set in a small, strict Kansas town on Labor Day weekend 1953. Enter a dangerously handsome drifter. Through Nov. 15. Evergreen Players, 27608 Fireweed Drive, 303-674-4934 or
“The Second Tosca” A backstage opera comedy by former Denverite Tom Rowan follows one diva on the rise and another on the decline. It’s being staged here for the first time outside New York. Mature subject matter. Through Nov. 22. Arvada Center, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., 720-898-7200 or
“The Woman in Black” A middle-aged solicitor hires a professional actor to help him exorcise a ghostly event that befell him many years before. Starring Larry Hecht and Drew Horwitz. Through Nov. 14. Presented by Modern Muse Theatre Company at Margery Reed Hall at the University of Denver, 303-780-7836 or
This week’s video podcast: “Heart & Music”
This week, videographer takes you backstage at actor Natalie Jensen’s annual concert to benefit Susan G. Komen breast-cancer foundation and the Pikes Peak Region Peace Officers’ Memorial. Jensen’s husband, Jared, was a Colorado Springs police officer killed in the line of duty at age 30. Guests include Joanie Brosseau-Beyette, Erik Bryan, Mitch Samu and many more.
Complete theater listings
Go to our complete list of in Colorado, including summaries, run dates, addresses, phones and links to every company’s home page. Or check out our listings or
The new-look Running Lines blog
Catch up on John Moore’s roundup of theater news and dialogue: .
