An authentic American classic, this powerful and vital play captures the sardonic humor and the grief, both private and universal, of Wolfe's novel about a youth coming of age. Concentrating on the last third of Wolfe's story, the play vividly portrays Eugene Gant; his mother, who is obsessed by her material holdings and who maintains barriers against the love of her family; his father, a stonecutter imprisoned by his failures; and the brother who never breaks away.