The bonds of friendship, especially deep-rooted relationships that span decades, are central to the human experience. While most simply think of the high school or college buddies we see so infrequently in our daily lives, it is the friendships that go sour over incidents from years ago that always seem to leave the deepest marks and are the more decidedly difficult to overcome.

Director Matthew Warchus taps into this deep, lingering hurt in his adaptation of Sam Shepard's play "Simpatico." Set…