It’s Body Awareness Week on a Vermont college campus and Phyllis, the organizer, and her partner, Joyce, are hosting one of the guest artists in their home: Frank, a photographer famous for his female nude portraits. Both his presence in the home and his chosen subject instigate tension from the start. Phyllis is furious at his depictions, but Joyce is actually rather intrigued by the whole thing, even going so far as to contemplate posing for him. As Joyce and Phyllis bicker, Joyce’s adult son, who may or may not have autism spectrum disorder, struggles to express himself physically – with heartbreaking results.
Annie Baker's off-Broadway debut is a tart, funny and heartbreaking look at a contemporary family as they wrestle with issues of communication, expression and the human body.