One could argue whether A Streetcar Named Desire is Tennessee Williams’ finest play. After all, there are so many of them to choose among. But there is no denying that fragile Southern belle Blanche DuBois and her brutish brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski are two of his greatest characters. The evidence is very much on view now at Palm Beach Dramaworks, where the lyrical … [Read more...]
Actors ready to ride Williams’ iconic ‘Streetcar’ for Dramaworks
Of the many plays by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas Lanier “Tennessee” Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire is considered his most popular work and, arguably, his best. “I think it’s one of the most brilliantly constructed plays I’ve ever been able to work on,” says Kathy McCafferty, who will be playing Southern belle Blanche DuBois at Palm Beach Dramaworks, … [Read more...]
‘Billy and Me’ at Dramaworks: The plays weren’t the only thing
Located at the thematic intersection of sexual attraction and professional jealousy is Billy and Me, a new play by Terry Teachout (Satchmo at the Waldorf) about the uneasy friendship of playwrights Tennessee Williams and William Inge. As the title implies, Williams is the narrator of the tale, “a memory play about a memory play,” whose first act is set in 1944 Chicago, as … [Read more...]
Two playwrights take center stage in world premiere ‘Billy and Me’ at Dramaworks
Two years ago, Palm Beach Dramaworks’ producing artistic director Bill Hayes was doing his usual detailed research in preparation for staging William Inge’s Pulitzer Prize winner, Picnic. And he came upon the intriguing fact that Inge saw a tryout performance of The Glass Menagerie by a young, brash writer with the unlikely name of Tennessee Williams. Seeing that play … [Read more...]
First-rate ‘Iguana’ launches Dramaworks season
The Night of the Iguana may not be top-drawer Tennessee Williams, but it is receiving a first-rate rendering at Palm Beach Dramaworks, where the tale of connection and redemption at seedy Costa Verde hotel on the Mexican coast opens the company’s 17th season. The 1961 work explores whether, in Williams’ words, “two unstable lives can set the world on fire.” In its portrait … [Read more...]
With ‘Iguana,’ Dramaworks tackles Williams at his most personal
Palm Beach Dramaworks prides itself on producing plays by great American playwrights such as Edward Albee, Arthur Miller and Eugene O’Neill. Yet in its 17 seasons is has never tackled a script by the lyrical Southern dramatist Tennessee Williams. Until now. Its season has kicked off with The Night of the Iguana, the 1960 tale of a defrocked, unhinged minister and a reserved, … [Read more...]