ARCHIVE - PAST EVENT

By William Inge

A comedy with tragic undertones, William Inge’s classic play makes a triumphant entrance on the Scottish stage.
Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman

This is a show about people making all sorts of compromises in their private desperation to connect with other people… Ken Alexander stitches this all together on a pretty, naturalistic set
Robert Dawson Scott, The Times

A lot can happen in a single night . . .

When a freak snowstorm blocks the highway west of Kansas City, the four passengers on the bus to Topeka are stranded at Grace’s restaurant.

Nightclub ‘chanteuse’ Cherie is trying to escape the clutches of Bo Decker, the wild young cowboy who has all but kidnapped her, intending to take her back to Montana and marry her – regardless of what Cherie thinks about the idea. Virgil, Bo’s faithful ranch hand, has done his best to restrain his hot-headed young boss, but to no avail. Bo isn’t listening to anybody.

Strangely, the fourth passenger, Dr. Lyman, a hard drinking academic with a passion for Shakespeare, appears considerably more interested in making sure the bus has crossed the state line than in its destination. Until, that is, he spies Elma, Grace’s wide-eyed, pretty, teenage waitress.

Bus driver Carl is more than happy to stop over – he and Grace seem, well . . . friendly. And Will, the local sheriff, is on hand to keep an eye on this company of misfits. Good thing, too, what with Bo trying to romance Cherie like he’s roping a steer, and Dr. Lyman wanting to teach young Elma about the joys of true love.

Come the morning, the snow has cleared and the bus can depart. But who will be on it? And where will they be headed?

A wise, moving and often funny tale of the search for happiness in a lonely world, William Inge’s 1955 comedy drama is a classic of modern American theatre.

Superbly atmospheric… a poetic dream of a play
Viven Devlin, EdinburghGuide.com

Superbly presented
Peter Cargill, The Stage

Watch the Movie trailer starring Marilyn Monroe