Eugene O'Neill wrote often about the hardships of life, and, Desire Under the Elms is certainly no exception.

An older man brings home a new wife, much to the disappointment of his three sons, all of whom are hoping to inherit the family farm themselves, rather than see it go to a new 'mother'.

The youngest son, Eben, feels particularly slighted by his father and believes the old man's cruelty pushed his own mother into an early grave.

The tension among these three characters, the aging father, the son just coming of age, and the woman who stands between them (played by Jim Anthony, Franklin Killian, and Patty Ulrich) is palpable.

Can any of them feel anything close to love any more? O'Neill's language is a workout, watching the pain these characters inflict and endure is a challenge, but it's worth the effort.