Boats

Placed in a run-down apartment in a small town in Pennsylvania on Christmas Eve, the play explores three generations of women: Rita--the grandmother, dying of breast cancer, who is in love with the town priest; Tootie--her daughter, an alcoholic, bitter,burned-out English teacher; and Joy Ann--Tootie's daughter, a neurotic, sexually compulsive aspiring actress visiting from San Francisco. Add to this group the following: Matthew--Joy Ann's current playwright boyfriend entirely unable to deal with her promiscuity; Boats--Tootie's step-son, admittedly "a little queer around the edges," Boats is a hot water repairman who discovers his girlfriend is pregnant and that he doesn't want any part of her or the baby. Joy Ann brings home a surprise for Christmas: Gregory, her father, the Beat Poet who deserted them when she was an infant. The shocking final scene makes this a most controversial black comedy.