'Books are good enough in their own way, but they are a mighty bloodless substitute for real life'. Robert Louis Stevenson's words resonate for Francis Kenworthy, played by Tim Hardy in Simon Brett's new one-man play, directed by Alison Skilbeck. Francis has always used books to hide from reality and help him forget the brutalities of his Victorian upbringing, but a family accident forces him to face real life. The seeds of tragedy have been sown long ago; a violent outcome is inevitable. Hardy received five stars for Nic Young's Trials of Galileo, in Edinburgh 2015.