Blue

Charles Randolph-Wright’s Blue tells the story of Peggy Clark, a beautiful woman, whose days are spent shopping at the most exclusive department stores. She and her husband live in a well-appointed home, and are one of the most respected couples in their community of South Carolina. She orders elaborate meals for family dinners, presenting them with all the flair of a chef unveiling a masterpiece. She is, as her adoring husband occasionally admits, unique. Yet in her private moments Peggy Clark shows a depth of passion that few ever see. Daily, she ritualistically wraps herself in the sultry blanket of Blue Williams voice. Under the sweet spell of his music, Peggy blooms like a luxuriant flower. Her sons watch from a revelatory distance as she becomes the woman she was before she married Samuel, when she was modeling in Chicago at the height of its blues era. The fractures in the Clark family’s smooth veneer go almost unnoticed but for the constant crackle of the worn blues records serenading the lady of the house.