Every great playwright knows that character development is a science that is as delicate as it is inexact.

Put your hero through too much conflict or, in Brian Bahrs' case, beat him up too much, and you might crush his spirit. Perhaps worse, you might come away with an angst-ridden antagonist, rather than a protagonist who wears his battle scars like a badge.

More important than the storyline, however, is the man playing the role. He's got to have the right makeup, comprised of clay as rich with minerals as it is malleable. The best writing in the world will come across as fallow without someone who can make the words sing.