Tender Lies

A tribute to the human spirit, this is the story of Arlo Gibson's unusual care and preservation of the waning dignity in each of the people who populate his porch. Among them are: an old woman whose once-elegant existence has deteriorated into an impoverished wait for life to end; a young woman who longs to be an artist but who works pitting apricots to support her alcoholic mother; and a man of strong religious conviction who killed his son's rabbit in a fit of rage and does not know how to find forgiveness. Arlo suggests that an insecure girl stop wearing dark glasses because … "You'll feel safe talking to strangers in broad daylight." He must also deal with a neurotic who buys lotions for rashes that have yet to happen! Like an archaeologist, Arlo can, with time, make even his dullest and most pathetic discovery sparkle. His method is simple—he tells "tender" lies. Or, as a critic covering the opening of the play in California wrote in his rave review, "He cajoles his tenants out of counterproductive behavior by creative prevarication." This critic continues speaking for himself and for the audience about the special beauty of this play. "It gets to you." Let your actors and your audience experience the theatrical magic of human understanding. Let this gentle yet extraordinary power get to them, too!