Lone Star
The play takes place in the cluttered backyard of a small-town
Texas bar. Roy, a brawny, macho type who had once been a local
high-school hero, is back in town after a hitch in Vietnam, and
trying to reestablish his position in the community. Joined by
his younger brother, Ray (who worships him), Roy sets about consuming
a case of beer while regaling Ray with tales of his military
and amorous exploits. Apparently Roy cherishes three things above
all; his country, his sexy young wife, and his 1959 pink Thunderbird.
With the arrival of Cletis, the fatuous, newlywed son of the
local hardware store owner, the underpinnings of Roy's world
begin to collapse as it gradually comes out that Ray had slept
with his brother's wife during his absence and, horror of horrors,
has just demolished his cherished Thunderbird. But, despite all,
the high good humor of the play never lapses, and all ends as
breezily and happily as it began.
Laundry & Bourbon
The setting is the front porch of Roy and Elizabeth's home in
Maynard, Texas, on a hot summer afternoon. Elizabeth and her
friend Hattie are whiling away the time folding laundry, watching
TV, sipping bourbon and Coke, and gossiping about the many open
secrets which are so much a part of small-town life. They are
joined by the self-righteous Amy Lee who, among other tidbits,
can't resist blurting out that Roy has been seen around town
with another woman. While the ensuing conversation is increasingly
edged with bitter humor, from it emerges a sense of Elizabeth's
inner strength and her quiet understanding of the turmoil which
has beset her husband since his return from Vietnam. He is wild,
and he is unfaithful, but he needs her and she loves him. And
she'll be waiting for him when he comes home—no matter what others
may say or think.
