It takes a very special actor to pull off the combustible lead role of Pale in Lanford Wilson's "Burn This." When it debuted in 1987, John Malkovich was quite impressive. Now, it's Adam Driver's turn. And while the performance overshadows the play itself, there's no denying Driver and Keri Russell together on stage are smokin' hot.

The four-character drama begins on a down note. Lights up on Anna in her Manhattan loft, mourning the loss and sudden death of her gay roommate and talented dance partner, Robbie. She's comforted by her boyfriend, Burton, a successful screenwriter, and Larry, her other gay roommate who provides much of the play's comic relief. We learn that after the funeral, Anna spent a miserable night with Robbie's working-class family; and just as she's hoping to see the last of them, in bursts Pale, Robbie's volatile and somewhat homophobic brother.

It's hard to believe that these two from such disparate worlds could possibly find any common ground, but such is the attraction of opposites.

Lanford Wilson is a great playwright and he clearly had a lot more on his mind than penning a romantic drama. And so, the play offers some stabs at insight. He seems to be saying that city life, with its sophistication and daily grind, make it difficult to establish genuine emotional connections. Or something like that. But the ideas are never fully developed and Wilson falls back on contrivances that bring Anna and Pale back together.

The performances are all excellent. David Furr is ideally cast as the perfect boyfriend minus the passion; Brandon Uranowitz nails all the laugh lines, but it's a clichéd role that I wish could have been better developed; Keri Russell delivers quite nicely in the challenging role of Anna, a woman whose awakening, as written, challenges reason in the arms of the brutish Pale. Then again, the character's crude, unfiltered spontaneity has an erotic appeal, and when he doubles over in heart-stricken grief, he pretty much seals it. Few actors can pull it off, but Driver seems born to the part. He's terrifying, sexy, and horrible all at the same time.

Director Michael Mayer does the best he can with the imperfect play, and though over-long at two-and-a-half hours, the production catches fire every time Driver enters the room.