Four Plays: Summer and Smoke, Orpheus Descending, Suddenly Last Summer,…

I really like Tennessee Williams -- everything about his plays is heightened and tragic and romantic and sad, and that is just the kind of thing I like. I can understand why he doesn't appeal to everyone, but if you like Williams, this collection of some of his less well-known plays is worth checking out.

[full review here: http://spacebeer.blogspot.com/2009/11/tennessee-williams-four-plays-1976.html ] ( )

I had bought this book several years ago as we were reading Suddenly, Last Summer in one of my courses. At the time, I wasn't able to read the other three plays as I had other readings to do. My book club was recently discussing Suddenly, Last Summer so I pulled this out to give Suddenly a re-read and decided to check out the other three plays for the first time. I'll address them in the order I read them.
Suddenly, Last Summer: This is an incredibly powerful (even if somewhat disturbing) piece of drama. There are so many layers and so much symbolism that you could literally spend hours and hours trying to understand it all. Nonetheless, it is fast-paced, intriguing, and can easily be read in one sitting. This is my favorite Tennessee Williams' play.
Summer and Smoke: This is another quick read, although not quite as fast-paced. We follow two star-crossed lovers over time, seeing how the characters develop and change in relation to each other. This play is most interesting, therefore, for its character development. In addition, the descriptions of the settings are amazingly detailed; I would love to see this play produced.
Orpheus Descending: I had a harder time with this play than the others. It seemed to lack a focus -- random events would occur with minor characters that could have been fleshed out more, in my opinion. I also had a harder time getting into the characters here, as I felt many of them weren't clearly defined. Still, the drama aspect is high, so that is a plus. Again, the stage directions are extremely detailed. I think this play would benefit from being seen rather than read.
Period of Adjustment: Williams describes this play as "a serious comedy," so it lacks the tragedy that he is better known for writing. To me, this play was just so-so. I didn't love it, but I felt it had a clearer focus than Orpheus Descending. The characters were better defined here, but I didn't really like any of them all that much, so perhaps that's why I was less into this play.
Overall, however, this is a great book to have and I recommend it, especially if you want an introduction into Williams' range of writing. ( )