THE STORY: Penny Wise Farm is the home of Gordon Chase, playwright, and Penny, his adoring wife. And there is Jeff who lives with them, Gordon’s brother, blissfully unemployed. Gordon is devoted to Penny. Twice in the course of their marriage he has made romantic excursions “elsewhere,” but neither affair proved an important threat to Penny’s happiness, and each of the ladies involved has slipped into the role of “family friend.” Knowing that Gordon is becoming involved with Katherine Drake, Martha and Tina rush out to Penny Wise to prevent disaster. Their efforts are complicated by Katherine, who comes at the seemingly innocent invitation of Penny. Martha and Tina decide to persuade Katherine to withdraw for Penny’s sake, but they only succeed in crystallizing Katherine’s determination to tell Penny of her “great” love for Gordon. Gordon is as unhappy as Martha and Tina: He hadn’t intended to allow this affair to take on serious proportions. He blames Martha and Tina for the crisis. Penny’s resourcefulness is demonstrated, and she deftly sidesteps the implications of Katherine’s “confession,” and at the play’s end we see Katherine definitely relegated to the ranks of “family friend."
A witty comedy.
