THE STORY: After the death of his alcoholic father, and his mother’s remarriage, young Horace Robedaux remained in Harrison, Texas, clerking in a dry goods store. When his mother invites him to visit her and his teenage sister, Lily, in Houston, Horace eagerly accepts, hoping to resettle and find more promising employment. Once in Houston, Horace is confronted by his gruff, surly stepfather, who dotes on his spoiled sister, Lily, but dislikes Horace intensely—and shortly orders him to leave. Horace’s departure, however, is delayed by a sudden bout of illness, which forces him to stay on for several weeks as an invalid. This gives him the chance to reestablish his relationship with his sister, whose memories of their late father are as bitter as Horace’s are forgiving. In the end Horace returns to Harrison, convinced that during his brief stay the demons of the family’s past have been exorcised and that he, as well as his mother and sister, can now face the future with a renewed strength of spirit.
This richly textured, deeply affecting work is part of the nine-play cycle,
The Orphans’ Home. Dealing with the saga of the Robedaux family of Harrison, Texas, in the early 1900s, the present play focuses on the troubled youth of Horace Robedaux, who journeys to Houston to visit his recently remarried mother and his coquettish sister, Lily Dale Robedaux, with whom he has lost touch since their father’s untimely death.
“It has a shimmering sense of a world remembered…The play is one to remember.” —New York Post.
“Warm-natured LILY DALE kindles feelings that embrace us all.” —Newsday (NY).
“LILY DALE is an enriching experience.” —Drama-Logue.
