Beneath the pretentious poet and his scheming nephew lies a poorly written plot that two actors struggle to give life.

Derek Davidson’s one-act play, “Jack of Dover,” is a rarity in that it isn’t long enough. The plot revolves around uncovering various deceptions and shifting identities, but the final product is less than desirable.

This production challenges our initial perceptions of the two main characters long before the audience ever becomes attached to them, diminishing any emotional punch these developments might have had.

Jack is a 40-something New Jersey poet who survives off the checks his nephew Jeff sends him. They meet at a diner — a seemingly regular occurrence — for Jack to pick up one of these checks. It turns out Jeff, an editor, needs something as well.

He wants material to publish and has his sights set on Jack’s notebook, a potential masterpiece of stories gathered from an anonymous New Jersey city and transcribed into verse.

Mark Hisler as Jack and Brian Haney as Jeff do an admirable job of pulling the audience into the mystery of their characters.

Hisler at first summons the stereotype of a romantic poet who lives a hard life solely because it’s better fodder for his writing. Jack rarely goes a minute without quoting some literary genius. The impoverished-but-noble poet is an oft-tread archetype, which Hisler embodies well; however, he becomes more absorbing when he suggests that Jack is perhaps not the genius poet he tries to personify.

The less ostentatious Jeff is concerned more with his finances and family than being the next great American poet, but he has secrets as well. While Haney does an excellent job of illustrating the complicated relationship between Jack and himself, his character development is shallow.

As the play progresses, Jack grows more complex as Jeff only deflates, though the fault is in the poorly written script and not the acting.

Director Mike Ostroski wisely avoids any unnecessary frills or distractions in creating the set, squarely placing the burden to entertain on the three performers. As is, “Jack of Dover” feels like an exercise in playwrighting that includes the basic dramatic question, action and resolution, but not the kind of development that makes a show worthy of the stage.

The production of “Jack of Dover” is well directed and acted, but cries out for a companion piece, or inclusion in a night of one-acts. On its own, the play’s flaws overwhelm everything else.

“Jack of Dover”
by Derek Davidson
Presented by Mother Road Theatre Company

The Filling Station
1024 Fourth Street S.W.
Runs through Jan. 28
Wednesday through Saturday
8 p.m.
$10 general admission
Fillingstationabq.com