Fifth of July

Set during a summer picnic at the Talley family homestead in rural Missouri, Fifth of July unfolds as a group of old friends and relatives reunite to sort through lingering wounds from the Vietnam War era and the social upheaval of the 1970s. At the center is Ken Talley Jr., a former soldier who has returned home after losing his legs in the war, now living quietly with his partner Jed while trying to reclaim purpose and stability. They are visited by Ken's sister, June, and her teenage daughter, by Ken's Aunt Sally, and by Gwen and John—the former a hard-drinking, pill-popping heiress who aspires to be a rock star, the latter her wary-eyed husband and manager. A sharp and funny classic of American theater, Fifth of July reveals lost hopes and dreams and unearths the bitterness that must be fought back if one is to perceive the good that life can offer.