Finding Fossils

In its L.A. premiere, Ty DeMartino's intimate family play feels about as close to an old-fashioned kitchen-sink drama as a story taking place on a country porch can get. This no-frills piece about an estranged relationship between Vincent (John Gowans), a recently widowed Italian-American man in his 60s, and his 30-something prodigal son, Gus (Chet Grissom), explores what brought these characters to their impasse and ruminates on coping with grief. A third character, upbeat middle-aged neighbor Johnny (Mark Costello), primarily provides a buffer for the escalating antagonism between the two family members. The playwright's aims seem modest: imparting simple if hardly revelatory truths about human nature. Director Suzanne Hunt and the capable actors do solid work in service of an intermittently involving but unremarkable script.

Crusty and cantankerous Vincent is hosting his gay son, Gus, for a visit over the July 4 weekend. The two men have not seen each other in many years. A practitioner of a profession that might rapidly date this play—a soap-opera director—city slicker Gus and his countrified father immediately butt heads following some token gestures of cordiality. Longstanding communication barriers between the distant patriarch and the son who was much closer to his mother make for heated exchanges. The ill feelings the men share were exacerbated when Vincent secretly brought his ailing wife to the country home to die, depriving his children of the chance to be with her during her passing.

Gus' gayness never becomes much of an issue. The differences between father and son strike a lot of familiar family-drama chords (think "The Subject Was Roses" and "All My Sons"). Gowans' Vincent is a skillful blend of annoying curmudgeon and sentimental codger, engaging in credible interplay with Grissom's Gus, a deeply hurt child hoping to mend ancient wounds. Costello provides welcome comic relief as Johnny.

A salute is due to Desma Murphy's sprawling and picturesque set, vividly depicting the porch and the surrounding natural habitat, complemented by Kathi O'Donohue's atmospheric lighting and Jocelyn Hublau's finely conceived costumes.

Presented by and at the Road Theatre Company, 5108 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. Jan. 29–March 18. Wed. and Thu., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m. (866) 811-4111, www.theatermania.com, or www.roadtheatre.org.