The Story

Willy Carey was a local character who started mowing lawns at the resort in 1946 when he dropped out of 6th grade and went to work to support himself and his mother after she lost her hand in a freak accident at the woolen mill. He was born in the village and knew all the ins and outs. No one ever knew who his father was, not even Willy. His mother never told him. Some folks wondered if his father was one of the wealthy guests at the resort in the summer of '34. None-the-less Willy became the man of the house at an early age and helped support his mother with work at the resort, first mowing the extensive lawns and later as a do-everything handyman. Carpentry, plumbing, electricity; there was nothing out of Willy's expertise. He continued to work for the Hubbards after the resort closed they bought it as an inn. In his spare time, he read extensively with a prolific interest in philosophy.

So, it was a natural move for Ted to promise Willy he'd have a job at the restaurant when he made a rather impulsive decision to spend his meager inheritance on the property. The bank was more than happy to unload it. However, when Ted returned to the bank with his business plan looking for a loan he was rejected. The notion of a restaurant in that part of the state was just not reasonable. If the property couldn't even sustain itself as an inn, what was Ted to do?

It was serendipitous that Ted was discussing his dilemma at a dinner party with relatively new friends, when Beth Franklin overheard and offered a solution. Beth was also fairly new to the area having taken a job with the county mental health system. It was a major cut in pay for her coming from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, but she had fallen in love with this little state and was looking for a life-style change. Unfortunately, she found her new job a bureaucratic nightmare leaving her frustrated, overworked, underpaid, and unable to enjoy the life she anticipated.

As she heard Ted describe the inn he had fallen in love with, Beth realized it would be perfect for a transitional residential facility - not for the impoverished population she worked with currently, but for wealthy out-of-staters looking for a remote and safe location far from the temptations they believed would be absent in the idyllic setting of this quaint village. Intelligent, passionate and persuasive, Beth soon had Ted rather excited about her idea. Within a couple weeks of communication, they agreed to go in on the venture together. Ted as director (since he bore the financial burden) and Beth as assistant director (which was in name only since she was the one with the experience and expertise to actually direct the operations of such a facility.

Most aspects of the inn, with some renovations, were already suitable for the project. The only major structural change (and a decision which was difficult for Ted) was to divide the huge ballroom into two smaller rooms with a wall straight down the middle; dislodging of course the beautiful chandelier which had given the room such a feeling of elegance. One half of the ballroom would become the client room where they could relax and entertain themselves. The other half would be a comfortable staff room where they could hold meetings and interview potential clients and their families.

True to his word, Ted hired Willy (now in his late 80's) to be the maintenance man for the home. Ted also insisted that they hire his nephew, Buddy Poulin, his younger sister's wayward son, in an effort to offer brotherly assistance; perhaps falsely believing himself that the setting itself would foster positive behavior and life choices. Beth was reluctant to hire Buddy but used Ted's insistence to levy her own weight in further staffing decisions. They hired Nancy Cummings who had a master's in psychology and some solid experience, and Joan Fieldings who had two decades of experience in the mental health field.

Beth also took the lead in scouting for potential clients, using her former connections and understanding of the systems in various cities and states. Their first six clients included three young men and three women. All the interviews included the parents who would be responsible for financing the stay, except for Amelia whose parents were deceased. Her case manager from McLean's Hospital was present at the initial interview and the family lawyer who handled her trust fund made the final decision.

Here are the six current clients:

Maxwell Solomon; client, late twenties, thinks he's a staff member (so does the audience), Lipton considers himself to be Max's mentor and treats him better than Buddy; Max is intelligent, caring and gentle, but a bit eccentric. Max had had the most difficult time transitioning to living at the home. He had felt safe and secure for the first time in his life on the psychiatric ward and the relaxed routine at the "inn" only increased his anxiety. His first two months we so tumultuous it looked like he might have to be sent back, but Ted took him under his wing and gave him responsibilities that seemed to ground him. The other clients, having witnessed firsthand the pain and anxiety Max had gone through, were tolerant of the attention Ted gave him as well as the role Max took on, acting as if he were one of the staff, and responsible for their well-being.

Charlie Warensford; client, mid-thirties, former high school and college track star, has had several diagnoses including social anxiety disorder; mild-mannered, couldn't get him mad if you tried.

Peter Vanderlip; client, mid-twenties, diagnosed as manic depressive, snobbish, likes classical music, usually dresses well but is actually very unorganized and therefore sloppy. He finds fault mostly with the staff and facilities.

Deborah Dickerson; client, mid-thirties, obsessive-compulsive and usually cranky. She started off her stay with pleasant social interactions, but soon was finding fault with everyone - staff and clients alike.

Margo Loveland; client, early twenties, anorexic, fun and energetic, very thin but still attractive. Margo gets along well with the guys. She's a bit of a flirt and fun to be around.

Amelia Zeeman; client, late thirties but looks even older, schizophrenic (hears voices), a bit slovenly, stubborn. Amelia mainly kept to herself, but all her interactions in the real world were pleasant enough. She seemed to have the most trouble getting along with people who weren't there.

The client room has a TV which is often on all evening. Buddy, who has the evening and sometimes overnight shift, is usually hanging out with the clients and often ends up sleeping on the couch. Amelia has a favorite chair that sits away from the others. She likes to be in their presence but doesn't engage in their banter. Margo, who has usually skipped supper (as well as breakfast and lunch) gets a little wound up on Diet Coke in the evening and keeps Peter, Charlie, and Buddy entertained. Max (who is "in charge" of the kitchen) tries to encourage Margo to eat. Debbie, who now works out of the home during the day at the tiny local library, is obsessed with the cleanliness, or lack thereof, and spends her evening trying to remove any semblance of dirt and disorder from the rooms. She even vacuums at night. The vacuum cleaner has a little "headlight."

The morning finds Buddy asleep on the couch and Margo awake, curled up in an armchair with a Diet Coke, watching TV. As the staff begin to arrive, the clients also begin to appear from their bedrooms upstairs. Some aerobics exercise program comes on the TV and Margo goads Charlie to crank up the volume. Margo gets up and starts dancing and Joan joins her immediately, then Nancy joins - a bit reluctant and slight awkward.

Veronica Lee (Ronni) who is getting her master's degree in music therapy at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina arranged with her school and Ted to do a 6-month practicum at the group home. She is staying at her grandparents who live in the next town over. Ted and Ronni arrive in the middle of this dance number. As the song ends Ted turn down the volume and introduces Ronni who remarks that perhaps they could teach her a thing or two.

Max enters from the kitchen and announces that the breakfast buffet is all laid out and ready. All but Margo saunter off to the kitchen/dining area.

The morning begins with a staff meeting. Beth has been in the staff room waiting and the other staff join her from the client room. Max looks like he is about to join them as well, so Ted asks him to stay behind and "keep an eye on things" and also to keep a look-out for the Davenports who are scheduled to arrive with their daughter, Claire, that morning.

The first order of business at the staff meeting is a formal introduction of Ronni. Ronni tells a little about herself which leads her into song.

The meeting then runs through a check-in of each client. As those conversations take place in the staff room, the clients, returning from breakfast, are also having simultaneous conversations which coincidentally follow the same order. During this time, Willy comes into the client room from outside with his tools and greets the clients there who respond warmly. Debby, however, is off in the kitchen and when Willy enters to retrieve the step-ladder she hollers at him that she just mopped, and this for example if right after Buddy reports that Debby is being a real bitch. He also reports that Amelia refused her medication last night. Ted asks about "his girl" Margo. Buddy reports that she's still not eating and staying up late drinking diet soda. Joan says that Max persuaded her to have a cup of soup yesterday and thinks she kept it down. She has an agreement to eat once a day or hey will restrict her access to caffeine. They hope to up it to eating twice a day soon. Peter is doing okay. He has a job in town and the supervisor reports that he's still disorganized. There is some concern that Peter has taken the whole day off just because he has an appointment to have his lithium level checked in the afternoon. Charlie seems to be doing okay and they have a potential work placement for him at the local diner. They explain to Ronni that Charlie was a track star in high school with a full scholarship to college, but something happened to him there and he just gave up on everything. Charlie has gotten back into running every day since coming to the inn.

It is Willy, up on the step-ladder working on installing a fire alarm system, that first reports a car with out-of-state license plates pulling into the driveway. Max moves to the front door to greet the Davenports and guide them to the staff room. Dave and Marcia Davenport are pleasant (maybe a little too) but Claire just acts as if Max wasn't there. She assumes of course that Max is one of the staff. Max introduces the family to Willy on the way through and knocks before opening the staff room door. The Davenports are welcomed in and Max offers to take Claire's suitcases up to her room.

While the introductions continue in the staff room, Max has a brief conversation with Willy expressing his attraction to Claire. Willy responds, as he often does, with bits of quotes from old philosophers; this time Francis bacon and Henri Bergson.

Max returns to the client room from taking Claire's things upstairs and puts his ear to the wall to try to hear the conversation in the staff room. The Davenports talk about their daughter as if she wasn't there, each finishing each other's sentences. Claire breaks out in a song describing how she started off as such a good little girl, but then got into drinking and hating her parents.

Max is infatuated and expresses his feelings to Willy who again responds with philosophy. The Davenports and Ted and Beth go off to the office to take care of business. Joan offers to give Ronni a tour of the premises and exit out back to see the perennial gardens. Nancy gives Claire a tour and Max continues to try to engage her, but she snubs him every time. This only seems to fuel Max's interest. Claire asks Nancy where all the other patients are, is she the only one? Nancy, instead of pointing out that Max is a client, just corrects Claire saying that the term "patient" doesn't apply here and asks her to use the term "resident" or "client." Nancy then explains that some clients have moved to supervised apartments in town and Claire wants to know immediately when can she get an apartment.

When Nancy and Claire are out of the room, Max breaks into song expressing his desire that Claire realize he's not that different from her. After her tour, Nancy drops Claire off in the client room and returns to the staff room shutting the door behind her. Buddy has settled back into the client room and Claire strikes up a conversation with him, forgetting she saw him in the staff meeting and assuming he's a client. When Claire heads up to her room to organize her belongings, Buddy leaves for home which is actually an apartment in an outbuilding on the premises.

All is quiet for a moment with just Willy up on his step ladder wiring the fire alarm system. Max enters, and he and Willy become engaged in conversation. It begins with Max asking Willy if he went to school to learn how to do what he does. Willy says no, that he only made it through 6th grade, then had to quit and go to work to support he and his mother who had lost her hand. All his knowledge came from reading in his spare time, and doing. Reading and doing. He tells Max about working here in the late 1950's when it was a fancy get-away in its heyday. He explains to Max that the room they are in is really only half a room. The original room was this and the staff room - one large ballroom with a huge chandelier in the middle.

Max asks Willy if he is sorry it is now a halfway house. Willy asks what he means by halfway. Halfway to where? Max stumbles a bit as he tries to describe where he's been and where he'd like to be. Willy tells Max of Zeno's arrow theory, that getting from one place to another is just an illusion. Before you can get anywhere you have to get halfway there, and before you can get halfway to the halfway point, and before that halfway to that point ad infinitum. Willy can tell Max is getting a little too intense and anxious thinking about this, so he lightens up and tells Max the old joke about the out-of-stater who gets lost trying to find the town of Lunenburg. The farmer says, "Well you can stay on this road until you come into Tinkerville, take a left by the general store, and . . . no wait a minute . . . that road's been closed since the flood of '27. Take your next left by Miller's farm and you'll come into the town of Enosburg . . . no that won't work . . ." Finally, he says "no, come to think of it, you can't get there from here."

Willy breaks into the song, "You Can't Get There from Here," and does a little soft shoe dance. Max tries to follow his steps and dances along a bit. Joan and Ronni come back in from touring the outside and watch the end of the dance. Joan goes upstairs to check on the clients still in their rooms to try to motivate them into activity. Willy returns to work up on his step ladder. Ronni had assumed Max was staff because of Ted's way of talking to him earlier asking him to keep an eye on things. She says she didn't get formally introduced and asks what his job is here. Max responds that he's in charge of the kitchen, planning and preparing meals, taking inventory, etc. Ronni tells Max that she is staying with her grandparents in Ludlow while she completes her practicum here. It's her last semester before she receives her master's degree. She asks Max where he lives, and he replies "here," to which Ronni responds "oh, in town. Maybe you can show me around sometime." To which Max responds, "No, I don't go out," which leaves Ronni a bit perplexed.

Ted, Beth, Nancy and the Davenports make their way in conversation from the office through the staff room and as they begin to enter the client room Max exhibits some anxiety and say he has to get back to work and exits into the kitchen. Joan comes down from upstairs with Claire. Perfect timing for farewells. Claire is rather cold toward her parents. Can they come see her room? No. Okay give us a hug? No. Okay love you. Yeah. The Davenports leave. Claire finds herself alone with five staff members. Tries to say something, but just mumbles and heads back up to her room.

The staff have a conversation about Claire. They realize Willy is still there and move into the staff room. There's a staff song in here somewhere. Clients who have not gone out for the day begin filtering in from upstairs; Peter, Claire, Amelia. Charlie returns from his morning run. The clients join in the song with counter points.

Somehow the "us and them" mentality, the clear line between mental illness and normalcy is accented in the song. Of all the staff, Joan is the most truly empathetic of the clients. (Buddy, who is not here, does try to be one of the gang when hanging out but maintains an air of superiority, which is obviously ass-backward to anyone watching.)

The Story of Max and Claire

Max continues to try to make an impression on Claire. It is obvious to Claire that he is infatuated with her and complains to Joan that the guy on staff is making passes at her. Joan, of course, assumes it is Buddy and brings the issue to Ted, his boss and uncle. Meanwhile Max continues to seek advice from Willy, who quotes William James as saying sometimes you have to meet reality halfway. Move forward with an open mind. He encourages Max to pursue this love affair if it follows James' three criteria for believing without evidence. One - can you bring yourself to believe it is possible? Oh yeah, Max believes that. Two - will inaction, waiting for evidence of mutual attraction, have the same result as acting as if you believe it is not possible? Max concedes that he has never felt this way about a girl and to do nothing would haunt him for the rest of his life. Three - is something of great importance at stake? In Max's mind there is nothing more important.

Of course, Ted talks to Buddy who denies any inappropriate actions toward Claire, and Ted and Beth meet with Claire to clear up the matter and get her side of the story. At first names aren't mentioned and to Ted and Beth the accusations seems to confirm Buddy has been inappropriate on the evening/overnight shift, but as things start to not add up, Ted mentions Buddy by name to which Claire reacts with a strong surprises NO. Buddy is staff? Claire thought he had one of the supervised apartments in the old carriage house. She was talking about the guy in charge of the kitchen - Max.

Beth and Ted explain to Claire that Max is one of the clients who has been here the longest. His anxiety prevented him from working outside the inn, so they gave him a job here. He acts like one of the staff because it is his way to practice being normal.

From that point on, Claire starts enjoying Max's company. She tells him that she plans to get a job and an apartment as soon as possible. Max tells her she is very brave. Not brave she says - what's the alternative? Max becomes torn. He sees that Claire is very independent and ready to move on as quickly as possible. She is going to be like a passing comet, a bright spot in his world for but a brief time. Unless he can move on himself. His love for Claire being a strong motivator, Max tells Ted he wants to build up the courage to get a job in town. Ted has him work with Ronni. Max tells Ronni about his plan and that he has fallen in love. She is afraid at first that he is in love with her, but soon that is cleared up. Max and Ronni have a song together.

Max does get a job at the diner in town, and comes back from his first day thrilled to pieces. Now I'm halfway there! he announces. This results in full cast song and dance number: Halfway There.

The Death of Willy and the Arrival of Frank Johnson

The dancing that ensues during the Halfway There song is too much for Willy and he collapses. There is a fury of activity on stage as the curtains close and the house lights come up for intermission.

There is a small graveside service for Willy and the staff and clients make up most of the attendees. Max is affected most by Willy's sudden passing and becomes quiet and withdrawn. He even seems to lose his interest in Claire. He starts to miss days at work in town goes through the motions of day to day without the enthusiasm he once exhibited.

Frank Johnson is a new client who arrives without much fanfare. He has come in on a taxi from the nearest city 35 miles away. He had flown in from Denver. Ted and Beth had been wavering about accepting Frank as a resident. He had a history of drug abuse and violence. Supposedly a regiment of therapy, Abilify and Suboxone has kept him on an even keel for months now. However, Frank maintained the appearance and attitude of the quintessential "bad boy" from his dress, hair style, demeanor and way of talking that always had a hint of a threat. It was not surprising that Claire, who had softened somewhat, was now attracted to this bad boy and her rebellious nature resurfaced.

So Frank became Max's nemesis. The little of Max's cheerfulness and positive outlook that remained annoyed Frank, and Frank a took it on as a daily goal to get under Max's skin. Claire was a bit caught in the emotional middle around this, having had developed a heartfelt appreciation of Max as a person, but she found herself taking Frank's side - much to her own inner shame. Max tried to use the philosophy he had learned from Willy to debate Frank, especially when Frank called him a loser who was going nowhere and would amount to nothing.

It was during one of these conversations, while the staff was having their morning meeting in the staff room and the residents were all hanging around in the client room before going on with their daily jobs, that Max told Frank that Frank could never get anywhere because the half-ways were infinite. To prove a point, Frank strode over to the wall, declaring it a halfway point (no bullshit theory would ever stand in his way), and punched a hole through it. He then exited outside while everyone on both sides of the wall were for a moment motionless and silent - mouths hanging open. One by one from both sides staff and clients gathered to peer through the hole.

As a result, Frank is put on probation. Another incident of aggression will get him expelled. Without a handyman, Ted takes on the responsibility of taking care of the hole in the wall. Being a man of limited home maintenance skills, he rearranges the hanging pictures to cover the hole from both sides.

Frank's bullying of Max continues, but more clandestine. As Max becomes more withdrawn, Claire's flirting with Frank increases. One night, while Buddy is asleep on the staff room couch, Frank, Claire and Margo are alone watching TV in the client room. Frank pretends to be friendly and reminds Margo that she has an early morning at work the next day, suggesting she ought to get to bed. Margo protests that she's fine, but Frank gives her a threatening signal and mouths "get the fuck to bed" so that she does leave for upstairs. Frank then starts to get physical with Claire, who responds willingly at first, but then tries to resist. Frank gets nasty, calls her a bitch, and demands she finish what she's started. Max, alerted by Margo who was worried about Frank's demeanor, appears at the bottom of the stairs and watches for a moment but it becomes quickly obvious that Claire is in trouble.

Max turns up the lights and confronts Frank directly. The sheer volume of Max's voice stops Frank for a moment and alerts Buddy who comes in. Frank tells Max he's a dead man and goes upstairs to his room. Claire thanks Max.

The upshot of course is that Frank is expelled and Claire and Max renew their relationship. Max's former plans get back on track. He's back at his job regularly. Claire also has a placement part time in town at the town clerk's office. Things in general settle down at the inn and everything is back to "normal" until . . .

Ted's Divorce

All this time Ted's marriage has been falling apart. His wife has discovered/acknowledged that she is a lesbian and wants a divorce. Unfortunately, during the severe reduction of their sex life leading up to this, Ted had a brief extra-marital affair with Nancy and now his wife has the legal upper hand. Ted has to move out of the house and, with limited time, funds, and options, he moves into the inn, taking the room Frank had occupied.

Ted's participation in the day-to-day routine of the residence gives him a new perspective. He takes on more of a fatherly role and the inn becomes more of a home and less of an institution. Now monitoring Buddy more closely, Ted gets on his case about his lack of attention, his sloppy appearance, and eventually about his drinking. Buddy actually responds well to this and slowly cleans up his act.

Wedding and Finale

Claire has developed a new attitude about life. Her rebellious nature subsides after the incident with Frank, and she shows steady signs of maturing. Her renewed love for Max goes to equal his for her. As she makes steady progress toward "graduating" to a full-time job and a supervised apartment living situation, Max battles his anxiety and tries his best to keep up. Eventually the day comes when Claire will be moving on soon and Max begins to think of proposing marriage to her. This comes out during a music therapy session with Ronni, and she shares more concern than encouragement at first. A debate takes place, probably in song, with Ronni presenting the cons while Max, evoking some of the philosophy Willy had taught him, argues the pros. As this progresses, they meet in the middle, each accepting the other's argument, and eventually switching sides. They have a laugh about this switch. She tells him he should probably follow his heart, but advises him to consult with Ted.

Ted has fallen into a bit of depression that he hides well behind his jovial nature. The idea of a wedding actually appeals to him. He figures what the hell. His world has turned upside-down and he encourages Max to go ahead, somewhat with the same logic as William James's theory that Willy had presented to Max. Then Ted has a vision. He wants to have the wedding reception at the inn. He wants to tear down the wall and restore the old ballroom. He even offers to officiate the wedding. He can obtain written authorization from the secretary of state to officiate at a specific marriage.

Claire says no at first, but then struggles with her decision. She encourages Max to ask her again and she says yes.

Everyone joins in on the project to remove the wall and restore the ballroom.

The wedding takes place outside in the perennial gardens.

The reception in the newly restored ballroom is the final scene of the play. A big song and dance number. There are sparks flying from the alarm system that Willy had been installing and Ted had tried to continue on his own. Everyone in the cast has paired up with someone else and dancing around in a large circle so that each couple has a moment at front center stage. The exception is Amelia. She seems to be holding on to thin air as she spins around in the circle. Suddenly the lights flicker out completely and for a moment everything is dark. When the lights flicker back on, Amelia IS dancing with someone. It is Willy. He is dressed like a southern gentleman in a white suit and white straw boater hat.