The poetic life and times of Big Bubba, equal parts charismatic
trickster and tent revival preacher.
This propulsive narrative poem tells the extended story of the popular
born-again televangelist Ray Bob Elray--better known to all his fans as
Big Bubba--his twin sons, Nick and Jesse, and his niece and adopted
daughter, Donna.
The comic tragedy of Big Bubba's family begins to unfold when he is
interviewed by an old friend, country radio disc jockey Charlie
Printwhistle. Bubba has come to Waco, Texas, to preach a revival, but
soon reveals to Charlie much about his complicated relationship with his
family, his ambitions for the ministry, his faith healing, and his most
recent venture with Pure Products of America, Inc., which produces and
endorses anything "pure," from Bibles to jelly preserves--for a
"whopper" of a fee, of course.
Structured as a verse play of two acts composed of three scenes each,
Pure Products of America, Inc., follows the unwinding of Bubba's
legacy as his heirs fall out and his already slippery relationship with
religion is tested by genuine grief. Along the way, master poet John
Bricuth treats readers to a sly, sarcastic--and sometimes deeply
moving--look at storytelling, old-time religion, and the American way.