Simon Gray’s dark comedy Japes is revived at the Hampstead Theatre, where it will play alongside three companion pieces.

Michael and Jason, known as Japes, are as close as it is possible for brothers to be. The death of their parents when they were in their teens made sure of that. The home they inherited hasn’t changed since; it remains part shrine, part playground. But when Michael falls in love with Anita their lives change forever… as does Japes.

When playwright Simon Gray finished writing Japes, he felt the characters had unfinished business or might have made different choices, so he began work on Japes Too. Worrying that he had only told one side of the story he wrote Michael. With the characters still playing on his mind, he wrote Missing Dates.

All four plays play in rep for the first time at the Hampstead Theatre Downstairs.