Wheels of Justice

by Lewis Gardner

Cast:  Two males

Plot Summary:  With a cast of two, Wheels of Justice presents an intense dramatic confrontation between Charles and Bruce, brothers who as adults have had little to do with each other. Charles, a pragmatist, has made a great success of the family business, while Bruce made a stab at a career in stand-up comedy but now faces a prison term for vehicular manslaughter.

Charles tries to convince Bruce to fight the charges against him. As they rehash old grievances and reveal a great deal about their lives and their differing values, the brothers begin to express some level of understanding and caring about each other. But when Bruce discovers Charles’s true agenda in wanting him to fight, it confirms his decision to accept his fate in an attempt to rebuild his life.

Although there is comedy in Bruce’s self-protective wry humor and Charles’s attempts to seem less stiff and conservative, the play offers a rewarding challenge for the two-actor cast in a non-stop sparring match between two strong and strongly contrasting personalities.