Swanberger's Song

The main character of this two-act play, Joe Swanberger, is the sort of colorful, offbeat character who makes for lively literature and engaging live theater. The frank, isolated, freethinking 76-year-old organic vegetable farmer has been trying to find a third wife through "wife wanted" advertising for more than thirty years. Interviewed by a young newspaper reporter, he is a one-man quote machine as he fires off opinions, spins stories and recounts some of his experiences in trying to find a female companion. A few of the thousands of prospective marriage partners, as well as his two ex-wives, have their say in brief flashback scenes. Joe establishes the jovial mood, though, by setting the tempo and singing the plainspoken, engrossing melody.