It not incidental that Williams was seventy when he wrote a short play about the relationship between a younger and an older man-an inexperienced hustler full of sexual potency named Beau, and an older, insecure writer named Vieux. Emotional and personal compromise can be assumed in a relationship in which one person is a paid "assistant," "secretary;' or "companion," but here the questions of who is being used or who is using are not so simply decided. With an underlying wit, Williams reveals the common needs that keep traveling companions together.
A part of the collection of The Traveling Companion and Other Plays.
The Traveling Companion premiered in a production by the Running Sun Theatre Company at Center Stage in New York City in May 1996 under the direction of John Uecker.