With its production of The Garden District, University Theatre creates an amazing tribute to one of the most influential playwrights of modern American theatre .
100 years ago, a man by the name of Thomas Lanier Williams III was born in Columbus, Mississippi. However, only a few know him by this name. The rest of us know him as the famous playwright Tennessee Williams.
In his lifetime, Williams created numerous plays, short stories, poems and essays, many of which depicted the trials and tribulations of homosexuals during his time. Williams was famous for modeling the characters in his plays and their situations after his own family members and their unfortunate personality traits.
He also became well-known for expressing his own frustrations and confusion towards his sexuality through the main players in his works, and The Garden District accomplishes this well.
In his pairing of two short works, Williams creates characters who neglect and suppress the truth of their sexuality, and those who run away from it—distinct choices which plagued homosexuals during the time-period, as well as today.
As both works are set in the garden district of New Orleans, they have naturally gone together for nearly 53 years. This creates a well-blended mix of comedic relief with tragically revealed truths which leaves audiences on the edge of their seats wanting more.
In the first one-act play, Something Unspoken, Cornelia Scott, an aristocratic southern belle, contemplates revealing the truth of her concealed emotions for her secretary, Grace.
The second short play, Suddenly, Last Summer, displays the suspenseful story of Mrs. Venable’s departed son and how their summer trips together were interrupted by her sudden stroke. This forces him to take his cousin, Catherine Holly, who discovers the truth behind their annual vacations.
To create the ultimate cast in these two productions, University Theatre pairs many new faces with some old ones, as well as including two professional actresses from the North Carolina community. As soon as these professionals step on stage, the student actors adapt their own skills in order reach their level of intensity.
From the moment I walked into the theater, I felt I had stepped back in time. The beautiful rustic-looking lattice flat along with the vintage-looking furniture developed the aristocratic atmosphere of the play. The set, mixed with the dim warm lights and foot-tapping Louisianan music, prepared the audience for the unfolding of these two dramas.
Many members of the audience, including myself, were primed for what others were calling an evening of twisted tragedy, which was only half the case.
Something Unspoken showcased Alexandra Hubbell, a sophomore in fisheries and wildlife science, as the role of Grace and Jan Morgan, a professional actress involved in numerous Triangle theatre productions, as Cornelia Scott. With Morgan’s refined air surrounding Ms. Scott’s character and Hubbell’s timid humility about the role of Grace, these actresses complemented each other. This allowed them to create a well-balanced, engaging scene, which leaves audience members hanging on to the very end, hoping for some type of resolution.
Suddenly, Last Summer presented the rule of a powerful matriarch whose sole goal is to reveal what she wishes to be the truth of her son’s death, by any means necessary. Lynda Clark, professional actress from television, film and stage, portrays the dominant Mrs. Venable alongside the mistreated Catherine Holly, played by Lauren Caddick , sophomore in art and design.
Together, they create a dynamic which only enhances the awkward tension between the two characters. This interaction is of professional quality and builds to the much-anticipated climax that left audience members with tears and racing pulses.
While many technical aspects, such as lights, sounds and set, of the production enhanced the action going on onstage, others proved to be quite distracting. In both short plays, the sounds meant to enhance the mood and tones of the scenes ended up so overpowering, they upstaged the actors.
The loud ticking of the figurative clock in Something Unspoken, and the sounds, which seemed like screeching howler monkeys, in Suddenly, Last Summer took away from the overall action of the production.
These minor technical critiques aside, the overall production provided a cathartic feeling and a sense of frustration, confusion and desire to see more. As the house lights came up to signify the play’s conclusion, viewers exploded with questions, comments and opinions on the evening of short-works.
If the goal of University Theatre was to pay homage to the famous Tennessee Williams on his birthday, then they succeeded. This production has given audience members a new look at Williams, social injustices surrounding homosexuality and theater in general.
The production continues to run this weekend in Thompson Theater, and it is definitely a show theater-goers will not want to miss out on.
