Paducah

Clay Baker is an attractive middle-aged man, long married to his charming wife, Julia; they live in comfortable retirement in a small town in western Kentucky called Paducah. Angela is Clay’s longtime mistress and Julia’s best friend, a pleasant arrangement that causes the Baker’s adult daughter, Suzi, a good deal of grief. She is joined in her disapproval by the Bakers’ black butler, Clete, who represents the moral center of the play. As the play unfolds, the arrangement that worked so well for years comes under increasing strain as Suzi and Clete try to bring Clay, Angela, and Julia to show remorse and dedicate themselves to a better way of life. Presented by the Women’s Project & Productions, the show premiered at the American Place Theatre in New York City in 1985.