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Five one-acts by Tennessee Williams to be performed - One tale is a timely story for LGBT community

Five one-acts by Tennessee Williams to be performed - One tale is a timely story for LGBT community
Stone Soup Theatre (4035 Stone Way N., Seattle) presents the west coast premiere of a remarkable collection of one-act plays by Tennessee Williams, none of which were staged until 2004. The five plays were written in the late 1930's through the mid 1950's, and provide a fascinating insight into the developing voice of one of America's greatest playwrights. They portray struggles and situations reminiscent of some of Williams' most famous plays, but through the refreshing new lens of characters such as a tender 16-year-old poet, a fiery 20-something intellectual, an idealistic young playwright, and a flamboyant and charismatic drag queen. Each of these characters reveals Williams himself as he grows and matures from young poet to trapped rebel to published writer to successful but lonely artist questing for relationship. In this collection, Tennessee Williams paints a portrait of the artist struggling against the odds to make sense of and create beauty in a complicated world. According to director Julie Beckman, "The central characters long for something to elevate them beyond the limitations of their environments. Each has a dream of some kind, a desire that may or may not be hopeless, but that gives meaning to life." In "These Are the Stairs You Got to Watch," a jaded usher longs to be made clean again after his experience of corruption and humiliation at a fading New Orleans movie theatre. For the young intellectual Lily in "Why Do You Smoke So Much, Lily," the memory of her connection with her late father both comforts her and drives her crazy as she longs to escape from the restrictions of depression era St. Louis and her mother's constant nagging. For the idealistic young playwright Dennis in "The Fat Man's Wife," the adventures of the sea promise to provide an escape from the compromising world of New York, and he offers the same vision to his producer's wife who he imagines to share his sensitivity and passion. In the most hopeful (and humorous) piece, "Adam and Eve on a Ferry," a woman seeks out the writer D.H. Lawrence as a devotee comes to a spiritual leader, and his philosophy allows her to break free from her self-imposed restrictions, giving her hope that she can re-connect with the love of her life. In the last of the five one-acts, "And Tell Sad Stories of the Death of Queens," Williams created one of his most unusual and fascinating characters, the aging but beautiful transvestite Candy Delaney who longs for fulfillment in a perfect relationship, and tragically tries to manufacture this dream from the broken reality of her encounter with a surly young seaman. It seems remarkably timely even today, speaking openly of Gay marriage and the Gay subculture of French Quarter New Orleans. The five plays will be presented with an ensemble of nine actors. Performances run from Feb. 22- March 17, Thursday -Saturday at 7:30 and Saturday matinees at 3:30. Preview Feb. 21. Tickets are available through Ticket Window at www.ticketwindowonline.com or (206) 325-6500 or Stone Soup Office (206) 633-1883.