Red Barn Theater Artistic Director Michael Taylor still enjoys directing a Michael Parker play for several reasons.

The Frankfort venue will present “Who’s in Bed with the Butler?” by Michael Parker. from June 9 to 20.

Taylor, who will be directing the play, said Parker, who died in 2019, always called the director before the production of any of his plays started wishing him good luck and then sent him a note after the start.

” I loved it. There are no playwrights who do that, ”Taylor said.

The playwright’s wife, Susan Parker, who also wrote plays with her husband, reached out to Taylor to let her know that her husband had passed away.

“She wished us good luck and it looks like she will continue this tradition,” said Taylor, a theater teacher at Frankfurt High School.

The plot centers on the only daughter of a Californian billionaire, Constance, who assumes that she will inherit the estate from her late father. But she learns that’s not the case, and an eccentric butler seems to be the center of it all.

Like many of his plays, “Who’s in bed with the butler?” Is a joke.

“His business is very light,” Taylor said. “It’s a good thing for the summer. This is the kind of show where if you’ve had a bad day you just want to relax and smile. This is what it offers. All the shows this summer are light because I think the whole world needs them.

Production is the first since the 2020 season was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Taylor said the actors enjoy playing the roles Parker wrote.

“There are a lot of shows that already explain how to play the character,” Taylor said. “Michael Parker’s plays leave that to interpretation, which allows actors to be creative and make it their own.”

There is an ensemble cast of seven performers. Taylor said the butler, played by Sam Lynch, is the central character but not necessarily the main character.

“There’s a lot of physical comedy,” Taylor said. “It’s very silly. With any comedy, there’s the fine line that you have to walk to make sure it stays funny, and it doesn’t get so over the top. It’s more of a moan than a laugh.

Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday with a matinee at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. To learn more, visit redbarntheatre.net.