Approaching Zanzibar

Act One

Wally Blossom, his wife Charlotte, his son Turner, and his daughter Pony, are driving in a station wagon, heading towards Falling Waters, West Virginia. Charlotte begs her family to stop singing, “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall,” which leads to a fight between Pony and Turner, and a quarrel between Wally and Charlotte over Wally’s driving speed. When Wally turns around to stop the children from hitting each other, and Charlotte grabs the wheel to keep the car from veering off the road, Wally stops the car, and he and Charlotte argue about safety, who should drive, and why they are driving in the first place. Charlotte’s aunt is dying in New Mexico, and Charlotte, who is afraid to fly, wants to say goodbye, and for Turner to play his guitar for his great aunt. Wally reluctantly comes to terms with the road trip, as Charlotte complains about the heat, and the children wail about missing their pets. Charlotte takes the wheel and starts driving, as they talk about her brother