At a late night party, Sam and Jo entertain their friends with a round of Twenty Questions and another round of drinks. When an unexpected guest and her mysterious companion arrive, the question "Who are you?" gains a whole new and desperate meaning.
What Is the Story of The Lady From Dubuque?
The Lady From Dubuque takes place in the home of Sam and Jo, a couple hosting a late-night party for their friends. Despite Jo’s terminal illness, which hinders her physical movement, she participates actively in the party conversation, making sarcastic and biting remarks to her alarmed friends. The next morning, Sam awakes to find Elizabeth (a mysterious older woman) and her companion in his living room. Elizabeth claims she is Jo’s mother, but Sam has never seen her before. As Elizabeth’s calming presence soothes the dying Jo, Sam struggles to find out the truth about who she is and why she has arrived at his home.
"There’s great pleasure in watching good friends have at one another, Albee-style, and Mr. Esbjornson and his cast let us savor the acid in their exchanges."
The New York Times
Ben Brantley
"[David Esbjornson] clearly gets the playwright's merciless intelligence and his wild, unexpectedly compassionate heart. The cast has a fine way with curdled civility on designer John Arnone's airy sweep of suburban domesticity."
Newsday
Linda Winer