The romance of "The Glass Menagerie" (1944) and the sexual passion of "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1947) announced a playwright whose lyrical realism and mastery of character challenged the dramatic conventions of the day—overturning both the social protest of Clifford Odets and the "well-made" plays of Terence Rattigan. What followed—"The Rose Tattoo" (1951), "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1955), "Orpheus Descending" (1957), "Suddenly Last Summer" (1958), "Sweet Bird of Youth" (1959) and "The Night of the Iguana" (1961)—remains an unparalleled series of American theatrical masterpieces.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Sad trail of beauty …
… Book Review: 'Tennessee Williams' by John Lahr - WSJ. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)
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Tennessee Williams was a genius; however, the second half of his career was a disgraceful display the grew out of the man's disgraceful, tortured, neurotic addictions. Still, he remains the one playwright who shines as the brightest light in the history of American theater.
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