Summer and Smoke

Like Ships Passing
A review of the Internet Archive facsimile eBook of the Dramatists Play Service original paperback (1948).

ALMA: Yes, it had begun early, this affliction of love, and has never let go of me since, but kept on growing. I've lived next door to you all the days of my life, a weak and divided person who stood in adoring awe of your singleness, of your strength. And that is my story! Now I wish you would tell me - Why didn't it happen between us?

I saw Summer and Smoke in its recent 2026 production at Toronto's Crow's Theatre dir. by Paolo Santalucia and starring Bahia Watson as Alma Winemiller and Dan Mousseau as John Buchanan Jr. With efficient doubling the 7 member cast was able to portray the 14 characters of the show more playscript.

See photos at https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HAq8d_CXEAAPnFO?format=jpg&name=900x900
Curtain call for the cast of the 2026 production of "Summer and Smoke" at Crow's Theatre, Toronto. Images sourced from own photos.

An exuberant and exciting cast delivered a terrific performance of this now mostly forgotten early Williams play which failed on Broadway in its initial run, probably suffering in comparison to [book:A Streetcar Named Desire|12220] (1947) which had preceded it. Williams even rewrote it later as [book:The Eccentricities of a Nightingale|1005968] (1964).

Watson and Mousseau gave thrilling lead performances as unrequited lovers Alma & John, which burned with intensity and repressed desire. They were so convincing that they came across as worthy successors to Blanche & Stanley in Streetcar.... Alma's repression and John's dissolution at the start make a dramatic reversal by the end as their roles become reversed and a promising love never materializes and turns tragic.

Some readings say that Alma's progress is a proxy for Williams own "coming out." Director Santalucia's program note said that: "As a queer writer, Williams understood that love can be a lonely experience — not because no one is there, but because the people who are there can’t meet you at the moment it would matter most. What Williams unearths here — and what makes the play so singular, so poetic — is the quiet sorrow of what postponement does on a person."

My rating is biased due to my live experience, as it definitely came across as a 5-star.

Trivia and Links
I read Summer and Smoke for free via the Internet Archive. That online facsimile eBook from 1948 was 82 pages due to containing advertising for other works. GR lists a more recent edition of 72 pages. NOTE: Pro-tip When reading from the Internet Archive online you must read continuously, or your "borrow" will lapse and you will have to renew it. It is not onerous, but a bit of a nuisance.

Summer and Smoke was adapted as the same titled film (1961) dir. Peter Glenville and starring Geraldine Page, Laurence Harvey and Rita Moreno. A trailer for the film can be seen on YouTube here. show less

Fantastic. A creative look on something (what we now know as the internet) that was in its infancy at the time. After reading this I can now think of many movies and stories that in some way referenced it.

I didn't like this at all. The settings were hard to imagine and the writing seemed disjointed, making the story that much harder to read. It could be that I am just not good at imagining the world of cyberspace but I enjoy movies/tv that are based on this concept so I will try again later with another book from the cyberpunk sub-genre but by another author.

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