Middle-aged, upper-class, and delicately-balanced couple Agnes and Tobias maintain a financially comfortable but emotionally uncomfortable existence in their suburban empty nest, along with their permanent houseguest, Agnes’ alcoholic sister, Claire. When their neighbors and self-professed best friends Harry and Edna arrive at the house, running from some unnamed “terror” lurking in their own home, the tenuous complacency Agnes strives to maintain begins to falter. The conflict is brought to a head by the arrival of Tobias and Agnes’ adult daughter, Julia, fleeing her fourth unsuccessful marriage. Over the course of one very rocky weekend, the delicately maintained equilibrium is bound to go flying. A Delicate Balance is Edward Albee at his best -- funny, surprising, and remarkably meaningful.
A Delicate Balance guide sections
