Clarkston

Chris is training Jake to be an overnight Costco stocker in Clarkston, Washington, across the river from where Lewis & Clark camped on their journey to the Pacific Ocean in the early 1800s.

Jake, who recently arrived from Connecticut, suffers from a disease that causes him to have involuntary body movements, causing him to drop products as he unloads them from the skid.

“Maybe this isn’t the best job for you,” Chris says, before agreeing to help cover up Jake’s illness so he can keep his only prospect for employment.

When Jake (who’s been openly gay forever) and Chris (who is “only out to the people he wants to”) realize they’re attracted to each other, a romantic tension undermines their ability to work together.

Then Chris’s mom shows up, claiming she’s been clean from her meth addiction for six months, and begs Chris to let her back into his life.

Following last year’s production of Samuel D. Hunter’s Lewiston, Bridge Street Theatre opens this season with the playwright’s companion play. Although the stories have different settings and characters, both feature ancestors of the legendary Corps of Discovery Expedition in western towns named after the famous explorers.

Until May 30th, only subscribers can access our full premium review of Clarkston. Please sign-in or subscribe now to continue. A trial subscription is free, and allows you to access five full premium reviews!