The family and friends in Rodney's Wife, Richard Nelson's latest drama, are on edge -- so much so that they're practically on the verge of breakdowns. Primed to take umbrage at whatever's said, they exclaim things like "What does that mean?" and "I didn't mean it that way!" They're constantly attempting to assure themselves and each other that they haven't just been insulted or been insulting, but such assurance never quite comes. These people are so fragile that an action as simple as drawing someone's bath becomes a source of contention. "Run his bath, Eva," one of them says in a snit. "Have fun!"

The six nervous wrecks are spending their last night in a rented villa just outside Rome.[...]