The current foot-and-mouth scare gives an added resonance to this play that deals with the dodgy goings on of a border abattoir. Black Box Theatre Company's timely new version of Pat McCabe's script is a pared down product with a reduced cast and an economy of phrase and gesture. McCabe has also taken the cleaver to the text, filleting much of the impressionistic trimmings of the original to produce a labyrinthine, black and surreal comedy. There are times though when the play still feels more like a work in progress than a finished product.

The story revolves around the memories of two butchers - the chronic worrier Moss (Pat McGrath) and the slightly more upbeat Vance (Pat Nolan). They revisit the meat factory where they worked for many years before, falling victim to market values. Both men have guilty consciences as the fear of being "sent down that road" led them to betray their colleague Paco. They relive that fateful night when the factory shut its gates, with country and western numbers competing with the thump of cleavers in a bizarre dance McCabre.

Joe O'Byrne's direction brings much ingenuity to the play while Nolan and McGrath give performances of bovine integrity as the butchers, switching with ease to take on multiple roles. Though McCabe's touch is deadpan and light all the way, he still has a bloody mouth and all too predictably resorts to violence to resolve the plot. Not for vegetarians!