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Suddenly Last Summer

This article is about the play. For other uses, seeSuddenly Last Summer (disambiguation).

Suddenly Last Summeris a one-actplaybyTennessee Williams,written in New York in 1957.[1]It openedoff Broadwayon January 7, 1958, as part of a double bill with another of Williams' one-acts,Something Unspoken(written in London in 1951).[2]:  52 The presentation of the two plays was given the overall titleGarden District,butSuddenly Last Summeris now more often performed alone.[3]Williams said he thought the play "perhaps the most poetic" he had written,[2]:  86 andHarold Bloomranks it among the best examples of the playwright's lyricism.[4]

Suddenly Last Summer
First edition cover (New Directions)
Written byTennessee Williams
Characters
  • Violet Venable
  • Sebastian Venable
  • Catharine Holly
  • Mrs. Holly
  • George Holly
  • Dr. Cukrowicz
  • Miss Foxhill
  • Sister Felicity
Date premieredJanuary 7, 1958(66 years ago)(1958-01-07)
Place premieredYork Playhouse
New York City,New York, U.S.
Original languageEnglish
SubjectAging, greed, hypocrisy, sexual repression
GenreDrama
Settingroom and garden of Mrs. Venable's mansion in theGarden DistrictofNew Orleans

Plot

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In 1936, in theGarden Districtof New Orleans,[a]Mrs. Violet Venable, an elderly socialite widow from a prominent local family, has invited a doctor to her home. She talks nostalgically about her son Sebastian, a poet who died under mysterious circumstances in Spain the previous summer.[b]During the course of their conversation, she offers to make a generous donation to support the doctor's psychiatric research if he will perform alobotomyon Catharine, her niece, who has been confined to St. Mary, a private mental institution, at her expense since returning to America.[5]:  14–16 Mrs. Venable is eager to "make her peaceful" once and for all by erasing her memories of Sebastian's violent death and hishomosexuality;Mrs. Venable is especially adamant that Catharine stop talking about the latter, in order to preserve her late son's reputation.[5]:  13–14 

Catharine arrives, followed by her mother and brother. They are also eager to suppress her version of events, since Mrs. Venable is threatening to keep Sebastian's will inprobateuntil she is satisfied, something Catharine's family can't afford to challenge.[5]:  23 But the doctor injects Catharine with atruth serumand she proceeds to give a scandalous account of Sebastian's moral dissolution and the events leading up to his death, how he used her to procure young men for his sexual exploitation,[5]:  44 and how he was set upon, mutilated, and partially devoured by a mob of starving children in the street. Mrs. Venable lunges at Catharine but is prevented from striking her with her cane. She is taken off stage, screaming "cut this hideous story from her brain!" Far from being convinced of Catharine's insanity, however, the doctor concludes the play by stating he believes her story could be true.[5]:  50–51 

Analysis

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From its first page, the script is rich in symbolic detail open to many interpretations.[5]:  3 The "mansion ofVictorian Gothicstyle "immediately connects the play withSouthern Gothicliterature, with which it shares many characteristics.[6]:  229 Sebastian's "jungle-garden," with its "violent" colours and noises of "beasts, serpents, and birds... of savage nature" introduces the images ofpredationthat punctuate much of the play's dialogue.[c]These have been interpreted variously as implying the violence latent in Sebastian himself;[7]depicting modernity's vain attempts to "contain" itsatavisticimpulses;[8]and standing for a bleak "Darwinian"vision of the world, equating" the primeval past and the ostensibly civilised present. "[d]

TheVenus flytrapmentioned in the play's opening speech can be read as portraying Sebastian as the "pampered" son,[10]:  337 or "hungry for flesh";[e]as portraying the "seductive deadliness" concealed beneath Mrs. Venable's "civilized veneer,"[9]:  112 while she "clings desperately to life" in her "hothouse" home;[12]as a joint "metaphor for Violet and Sebastian, who consume and destroy the people around them";[13]as symbolising nature's cruelty, like the "flesh-eating birds" of theGalapagos;[14]as symbolising "a primitive state of desire,"[15]and so on.

Williams referred to symbols as "the natural language of drama"[2]:  250 and "the purest language of plays."[16]The ambiguity arising from the abundance of symbolism is therefore not unfamiliar to his audiences. What poses a unique difficulty to critics ofSuddenly Last Summeris the absence of its protagonist.[10]:  336 All we can know of Sebastian must be gleaned from the conflicting accounts given by two characters of questionable sanity, leaving him "a figure of unresolvable contradiction."[6]:  239–241 

In spite of its difficulties, however, the play's recurrent images of predation andcannibalism[f]point to Catharine's cynical pronouncement as key to understanding the playwright's intentions: "we all use each other," she says in Scene 4, "and that's what we think of as love."[5]:  34 Accordingly, Williams commented on a number of occasions that Sebastian's death was intended to show how:

Man devours man in a metaphorical sense. He feeds upon his fellow creatures, without the excuse of animals. Animals actually do it for survival, out of hunger... I use that metaphor [of cannibalism] to express my repulsion with this characteristic of man, the way people use each other without conscience... people devour each other.[2]:  146, 304 

Adaptations and productions

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1958 original production

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The original production of the play was performedoff Broadwayon January 7, 1958, along withSomething Unspoken,under the collective title ofGarden District,at the York Theatre on First Avenue in New York, staged by theYork Playhouse.Anne Meachamwon anObie Award(Annual Off-Broadway Theatre Awards 1956 –) for her performance as Catharine. The production also featuredHortense Aldenas Mrs. Venable,Robert Lansingas Dr. Cukrowicz, Eleanor Phelps as Mrs. Holly, and Alan Mixon as George Holly, and was directed by Herbert Machiz, with stage set designed by Robert Soule and the costumes by Stanley Simmons. Incidental music was byNed Rorem.[17]

1959 film

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Main article:Suddenly, Last Summer (film)

The film version was released byColumbia Pictures,in 1959, starringElizabeth Taylor,Katharine Hepburn,andMontgomery Clift;it was directed byJoseph L. Mankiewiczfrom ascreenplaybyGore Vidaland Williams. The movie differs greatly from the stage version, adding many scenes, characters, andsubplots.TheHollywood Production Codeforced the filmmakers to cut out the explicit references tohomosexuality.

The movie received threeAcademy Awardnominations: Hepburn and Taylor were both nominated forBest Actress in a Leading Role,and it was also up forBest Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White.

1993 BBC TV play

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The play was adapted forBBC Televisionin 1993 under the direction ofRoyal National TheatreheadRichard Eyre,and starringMaggie Smith,Rob Lowe,Richard E. Grant,andNatasha Richardson.It aired in the United States onPBSas an episode ofGreat Performances.[18]Smith was nominated for anEmmy Awardfor Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie.[19]According to Lowe, his personal driver during the production of the telefilm was also the personal driver forMontgomery Clifton the 1959 film.[20]

1995 Broadway debut

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The play made itsBroadwaydebut in 1995. It was performed together withSomething Unspoken,the other one-act play that it originally appeared with under the titleGarden District.It was presented by theCircle in the Square Theatre.The cast includedElizabeth Ashley,Victor SlezakandCelia Weston.[21]

1999 London West End debut

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The play debuted in theWest Endin 1999 at theComedy Theatre,London,starringSheila Gishas Mrs. Venable,Rachel Weiszas Catharine,Gerard Butleras Dr. Cukrowicz and directed bySean Mathias.[22]

2004 London West End revival

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Michael Grandagedirected a 2004 stage production at theLyceum Theatre, Sheffield,featuringDiana Riggas Mrs. Venable andVictoria Hamiltonas Catharine. The production toured nationally before transferring to theAlbery Theatre,London.[23]The production received enthusiastic reviews,[24]and Hamilton won theEvening StandardTheatre Award for Best Actressfor her performance.[25]

2006 off-Broadway

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An off-Broadway production in 2006 by theRoundabout Theatre CompanystarredBlythe Danner,Gale HaroldandCarla Gugino.[26]

2015 Sydney Theatre Company

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The play was part of the 2015 season at theSydney Theatre Company.DirectorKip Williamsblended live camera work with traditional stage craft in a production starringEryn Jean Norvillas Catherine andRobyn Nevinas Venable.[27]The production received three nominations at 2015Helpmann Awards,with Nevin nominated for Best Actress, the production nominated for Best Play, and Williams winning for Best Director.

2017 Théâtre de l'Odéon, Paris

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A French translation of the play was staged at theThéâtre de l'Odéonin March and April 2017.Stéphane Braunschweigdirected Luce Mouchel as Mrs. Venable, Marie Rémond as Catherine, Jean-Baptiste Anoumon as Dr. Cukrowicz, Océane Cairaty as Miss Foxhill, Virginie Colemyn as Mrs. Holly, Glenn Marausse as George, and Boutaïna El Fekkak as Sœur Félicité.

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^Mrs. Venable tells us that Sebastian's fateful trip with Catharine, during which he failed to write a poem, took place in 1935. The play is set "between late summer and early fall" the following year.[5]
  2. ^Williams indicates that Cabeza de Lobo is in Spain, not (as it is sometimes assumed) in South America, by referring to Catharine's return "from Europe" aboard theBerengaria,an Atlantic liner.[5]:  14, 24 Williams might have had northern Spain in mind, and in particularSan Sebastián,as the private beach in Cabeza de Lobo frequented by Sebastian and Catharine is called Playa San Sebastian.[5]:  43 
  3. ^e.g. after Mrs. Holly says "don't laugh like that; it scares me, Catharine," there is the stage direction "jungle birds scream in the garden"[5]:  25 
  4. ^Thompson sees the opening stage direction as introducing "the dual role of victim and victimizer, predator and prey, engaged in a struggle for survival rather than salvation.[9]:  99, 112 
  5. ^According to Pecorari, the plant is "a rather transparent metaphor for Sebastian himself: Predatory yet vulnerable, perfectly handsome in a delicate, feminine way, like the goddess of beauty, and also hungry for flesh, in his case, adolescent boys instead of flies."[11]
  6. ^e.g. Catharine tells us how Sebastian talked about people, as if they were items on a menu – 'That one's delicious-looking, that one is appetizing'... blonds were next on the menu... Cousin Sebastian said he was famished for blonds "; she describes the" hot, ravenous mouth "of the married man she met at the Mardi Gras ball.[5]:  20–21, 36 

References

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  1. ^Williams, Tennessee (2000). Gussow, Mel; Holditch, Kenneth (eds.).Plays 1957–1980.New York, NY: Library of America. p. 973.ISBN1883011876.
  2. ^abcdDevlin, Albert J., ed. (1986).Conversations with Tennessee Williams.Oxford, Mississippi:University Press of Mississippi.ISBN978-0878052639.ISBN0878052631
  3. ^Kolin, Philip C., ed. (1998).Tennessee Williams: A Guide to Research and Performance.London, UK:Greenwood Publishing.pp. 132–133.ISBN978-0313303067.
  4. ^Bloom, Harold (2003).Introduction toTennessee Williams.Bloom's Bio-Critique. Chelsea House. p. 3.
  5. ^abcdefghijklWilliams, Tennessee (2009) [1957].Suddenly Last Summer and Other Plays.London, England:Penguin Publishing.:  3, 41 
  6. ^abGross, Robert F. (May 1995). "Consuming Hart: Sublimity and Gay Poetics inSuddenly Last Summer".Theatre Journal.47(2). Baltimore, Maryland:Johns Hopkins University Press:229–251.doi:10.2307/3208485.JSTOR3208485.
  7. ^van den Oever, Roel (2012).Mama's Boy: Momism and Homophobia in Postwar American Culture.London, England:Palgrave Macmillan.p. 85.ISBN978-1349445486.
  8. ^Fielder, Elizabeth Rodriguez (2016). "A Litany Seeking a Text: The Specter of the Conjure in the Sub-Tropical Southern Gothic". In Edwards, Justin D.; Vasconcelos, Sandra G.T. (eds.).Tropical Gothic in Literature and Culture: The Americas.London, England:Routledge.p. 60.ISBN978-1138915862.
  9. ^abThompson, Judith (1987).Tennessee Williams' Plays: Memory, Myth, and Symbol.London, England:Peter Lang.ISBN978-0820404769.
  10. ^abSofer, Andrew (Fall 1995)."Self-Consuming Artifacts: Power, Performance and the Body in Tennessee Williams'Suddenly Last Summer".Modern Drama.38(3). Toronto, Ontario, Canada:University of Toronto Press:336–347.doi:10.3138/md.38.3.336.S2CID191578339.
  11. ^Pecorari, Marie (2013)."Chaste or chased? Interpreting indiscretion in Tennessee Williams'Suddenly Last Summer".Miranda(8).doi:10.4000/miranda.5553.
  12. ^Ford, Marylyn Claire (1997). "Parodying Fascism:Suddenly Last Summeras Political Allegory ".Publications of the Mississippi Pholological Association:19–20.
  13. ^Gabriel, Jo (January 13, 2013)."The Devouring Mother, the Oedipal Son & the Hysterical Woman".The Last Drive In.RetrievedMarch 30,2017.
  14. ^Barberà, Pau G. (2006)."Literature and Mythology in Tennessee Williams'Suddenly Last Summer".p. 4.RetrievedMarch 30,2017.
  15. ^Lance, Daniel (2004)."Nature as a wild and sacrificial world: Tennessee Williams' view point".Colloquium on Violence and Religion.Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico.RetrievedMarch 30,2017.
  16. ^Williams, Tennessee(1978)."Camino Real".InLahr, John;Day, Christine R.; Woods, Bob (eds.).Where I Live: Selected Essays.New York, NY: New Directions. p.66.ISBN978-0811207065.
  17. ^Kolin, Philip C., ed. (1998).Tennessee Williams: A Guide to Research and Performance.Westport, Connecticut:Greenwood Publishing Group.p. 132.
  18. ^ Leonard, John (January 11, 1993)."Class Menagerie".New York.New York, NY:New York Media.p. 51.
  19. ^"Dame Maggie Smith at Television Academy".
  20. ^King, Susan (January 6, 1993). "Williams play a different role for Rob Lowe".The Los Angeles Times.
  21. ^Willis, John A. (1998).Theatre World, 1995–1996 Season.New York: Applause Theatre and Cinema Books. p. 14.ISBN9781557833228.OCLC39883373.
  22. ^"London Theatre Guide Archive Theatre Reviews / Suddenly Last Summer".June 8, 2016.
  23. ^"Suddenly Last Summer".MichaelGrandage.Productions. 2004. Archived fromthe originalon September 25, 2013.RetrievedSeptember 25,2013.
  24. ^Bird, Alan (May 14, 2004)."Suddenly Last Summer with Victoria Hamilton and Diana Rigg at Albery 2004".LondonTheatre.co.uk.RetrievedJune 21,2011.
  25. ^"Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2004".westendtheatre.January 1, 2009.
  26. ^Willis, John; Hodges, Ben (2009).Theatre World 2006–2007 Season.Vol. 63. New York: Applause Theatre and Cinema Books. p. 226.ISBN9781557837288.OCLC228373426.
  27. ^"Director Kip Williams".Video.STC Magazine.Sydney Theatre Company. February 10, 2015.RetrievedFebruary 25,2015.
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