Tomorrow is Not as Bad as it Seems (Highview Arts Center)
- stagedoorlouisville
- May 23
- 3 min read
Laundry and Bourbon/Lonestar
Written by James McLure
Directed by Jay Marie Padilla-Hayter
Review by Regina Harris
Entire contents are copyright © 2026 Regina Harris. All Rights Reserved
On a front porch, a woman stares into the distance absent- mindedly folding laundry in a small Texas town, late of an afternoon. In swoops her lifelong friend complaining loudly about her rowdy children. She plops down to help with the folding which is one of those mundane household tasks made better by a little day drinking. They begin to share thoughts and feelings, current fears and long held secrets. As timing dictates, into this scenario pops the church lady, a local scold bearing juicy gossip with a side of self-righteousness and a hearty dose of judgement. Despite her congregation’s anti-alcohol stance, she indulges in “just a small one” (bourbon) along with the other women. By the time the ladies have killed the whole bottle and opened another, old resentments and catty accusations are flying all over the porch, some of them poignant, some of them absurd; all of them giving us a glimpse into life in this not-so-unfamiliar small town.
This is the Laundry and Bourbon portion of two sperate plays that come as set, the other being Lonestar. They premiered together at Humana Festival of New American Plays in 1979. While some themes, tropes and language are era-specific, themes of love, loss, land longing for the past are timeless. Each is a one-hour play that moves quickly but has you feeling
deeply connected to these characters in a flash.
They are familiar to anyone who grew up the south, Appalachia, or my personal home state of Texas (or probably anywhere). If you were one of those stealthy, nosy kids (like me) who eavesdropped as the women in the family let their hair down and gossiped over glasses of iced tea you will instantly recognize them (and now I’m wondering if iced tea was all that was in their glasses.)
Elizabeth, Hattie and Amy Lee grew up together in Maynard. Elizabeth is grappling with how to help her Vietnam vet husband who is struggling with what we now know as PTSD. All she knows is that he has nightmares and periodically disappears…this time for a couple of days. Emily Kohler as Elizabeth had me crying when describing her love for her husband and her feelings of inadequacy trying to help him. Her pain is understated but palpable.
Hattie is Elizabeth’s best friend, a harried mom whose 1970's parenting philosophy leans free range. Her audacious energy and fiery temper were perfectly captured by Morgan Shussler-
Williams, whose ability to go from sassy to serious and back again is so quick it will give you whiplash. As the local scold and busybody, Carrie Lynn Fowler as Amy Lee breathed passive- aggressive power and looks meant to kill that would have been frightening had the characterization not also been so hilarious. Kudos to all three.
Conversely, Lonestar revolves around the men married to these women. Having peaked in high school, Texas good ol’ boys Roy and Ray sit around drinking Lonestar beer, reliving their glory days of high school football, the girls they “dated” and Roy’s beloved 1959 T-Bird convertible. Contrasted with their wives’ honest true confessions, the men are obtuse and reaction driven. Their conversation covers a lot of ground specific to the experience of men of that era, including disturbing images of the Vietnam war. Roy, Elizabeth’s husband is agitated, irritable, easily set off. John Smothers as Roy has an edgy energy that is unnerving, mirroring his character’s explosive nature.
His sweet brother Ray is not bright but is a good (if flawed) man with some bad news for his brother. Jason Effinger brings an endearing sweetness to the role, even if his character’s dense nature is vexing.
Ke’Leb Beauchamp delights as Cletus (aka “Skeeter,”) the town nerd who has become a successful, if still socially awkward businessman. He has had some traumas too but responds to them differently than Roy. Beauchamp brings a natural humor and innocence to this emotionally complex role.
As for the set, it could use some tidying, but the arrangement of the audience seats is sensible for the space. Sound, which can often be tricky in any size production, is refreshingly
impeccable. Better yet, the soundtrack is a perfectly curated collection of 70’s soft rock and country hits modulated to play unobtrusively in the background of Lonestar, grounding the
production authentically in the 70’s.
Laundry and Bourbon/Lonestar reminds us that as confounding as current times can be, perhaps the good old days weren’t always good - but also that maybe tomorrow is not as bad as it seems.
Laundry and Bourbon/Lonestar
Highview Arts Center
May 22, 23, 25 @ 7:30 pm
May 24 @ 2:30 pm
7406 Fegenbush Lane
Louisville, KY 40228
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