Shepard’s play is set in rural Wisconsin – land of cows, cheese, and long, cold winters. Emma, who’s a native, says it’s the kind of place where nothing happens.

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Emma has a guest, a nervous guy who does some kind of mysterious government work in Colorado. Emma tells him that he’s nothing like her husband Frank.

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But soon, there’s a suspicious guy with a briefcase at the door asking questions, and this play turns into a dark, inexorable farce about government supersecrecy, toxic substances, and what limits, if any, apply when it comes to national security. It’s a cautionary tale, and a timely one. The acting’s excellent, and you can’t help laughing, even though the ending’s grim. Shepard wants you to go home thinking about where the path we’re on may be leading us – and in this play, he certainly succeeds.