Despite the title, each of the three scenes in Neil LaBute’s 2007 play “In a Dark Dark House” takes place outdoors. But the referenced house figures prominently in the lives of brothers Drew and Terry, who as adults are still lost in the shadows of their unhappy and dysfunctional childhood home.

The title and the metaphor of that dark house aptly frame LaBute’s puzzling psychological drama about the complexities of brotherly love and the lingering affects of child abuse. In Ion Theatre’s tense production, director Glenn Paris uses projections of dark trees and blue skies that help establish the tone on his otherwise functional set. He creates an appropriately menacing atmosphere and elicits fine performances from its three principals.

The play opens on the grounds of a swanky rehab center, where affluent former lawyer Drew has landed after a bout of bad behavior. His therapy sessions have brought up some long-repressed memories of childhood molestation at the hands of a young man who befriended the family. Now he needs his estranged big brother to corroborate the story to gain leniency for his latest transgressions. When his straight-talking security guard brother Terry finds out about the abuse, he decides to seek revenge on the perpetrator in a long-standing custom of protecting and cleaning up after his little brother.

Claudio Raygoza (left) and Jeffrey Jones have it out as

brothers in Ion's "In a Dark Dark House."

Photo: David Matt Green

But this is LaBute, and so nothing is as straightforward as it may initially seem. The playwright, screenwriter and film director has been called manipulative for his predictably unpredictable endings. The twists in “Dark House” lead audiences through circles of confusion and uncertainty, eventually forcing them to draw their own conclusions about what did or did not happen -- which can be infuriating for those who like more explicit plot structures or intriguing for those who enjoy open-ended puzzles.

Helping to create a sense of ominous ambiguity is Jeffrey Jones in the role of older brother Terry. His barely contained rage and resentment toward Drew contrasts with the easy banter of his seduction of a teenage girl in the second scene, affording more confusion until the third and final scene ties it all together. An intense, threatening presence pervades Jones’ Terry, as his moods and personality swing across the spectrum – sensible, witty, moody, angry, charming, creepy.

Together, Jones and Claudio Raygoza establish a palpable unease between the brothers. Their underlying animosity and inability to communicate with each other in any meaningful way reveals itself in their juvenile retreat to play fighting and digs at each other’s manhood.

Raygoza is smarmy and evasive as Drew, throwing around youth-speak like “dude,” “whatever,” “cool” in an attempt to dodge accountability as an adult. His Drewappropriately disarms us in the first scene, but Raygoza could push the character’s manipulation and lies into more vicious territory.

Rachael Van Wormer has a few years on her 16-year-old counterpart, but she skillfully portrays the mouthy, sexy teen with an alluring mix of precociousness and awkwardness. Her character is far from innocent, but has no idea what she’s getting herself into. Flirting and baiting her prey, she finds that she’s the one on the hook.

LaBute’s brutally funny and disturbing play delves into the dark, secret places of the home, familial connections and the psyche. “Dark House” slinks around the edges of understanding with hints, insinuations and clues, rather than offering certainties. The haziness is an apt representation of the darkness of repressed and faulty memory, for sure, but is also frequently baffling. It’s tricky stuff, and Paris and his cast fairly succeed in the play’s West Coast premiere – continuing in Ion’s welcome habit of tackling difficult, potent work.