Theatrical Notes of Tennessee Williams - Essay Example

Theatre: Tennessee Williams The purpose of this paper is to provide some information on a notable playwright which will be directed towards Tennessee Williams. The format that this paper will utilize is to first give background information on Tennessee Williams followed by a critical discussion as to why he needed to express himself through playwriting. Next this paper will provide some background information on two of his most famous plays and discuss what the critical response was to these plays and describe some of the background information on these particular plays. According to Tennessee Williams’ memoirs (2006) he was born Thomas Lanier Williams in Columbus, Mississippi. He had what was described as a rough childhood as he was often described as being effeminate which his father, an alcoholic did not approve of, and his mother was described as being bipolar. Tennessee had a close relationship with his sister ‘Rose’ who later in life was discovered to be schizophrenic and spent much of her life in mental institutions. It was the case that Tennessee’s fear of falling into madness would plague him in later life and ultimately lead him into alcoholism and drug abuse. Rose ultimately had a lobotomy performed on her which left her more or less docile for the rest of her life. When Tennessee was young, his family moved to St. Louis where he attended Soldan High School . It became clear at an early age that Tennessee was a gifted writer and won a number of small awards for his short stories and plays. Tennessee attended the University of Misouri, Washington University, and the University of Iowa where he completed his undergraduate studies but by the late 1930’s he was studying and living in New York City. Probably what proved to be most influential on the writings of Tennessee Williams was living in New Orleans where in the late 1940’s he began writing a Streetcar named Desire arguably one of his most famous works. It was during this time that Tennessee began a homosexual relationship wit a man named Frank Merlo. As one recognizes from the works of Tennessee Williams it is the case that he often used alcoholism, mental health issues, and homosexuality as cornerstones of his works. However it was during the time that Tennessee was living with Merlo that he arguably completed his most notable works, arguably this is owing to the relative stability that this relationship brought to his life. According to the library at thinkquest (2010) it is the case that Williams had published thirty eight plays, nine works of fiction, and three poem anthologies. Some of the most prominent pieces by Williams were, the Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Night of the Iguana, In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel, Vieux Carre, and Sweet Bird of Youth. It is clear that Tennessee had a troubled childhood, and while it may not have ever been explicitly stated, it is probably the case that playwriting and writing in general proved to be a means of escapism for the young man insofar as it is probably the case that he used writing as an outlet for his frustrations. As one recognizes that madness, alcoholism and homosexuality play a prominent role in many of his plays one need only notice that mental health issues plagued his mother and sister, alcoholism affected both Tennessee and his father and Williams himself was a homosexual living in a family that probably frowned upon this behavior. In this regard one could postulate that writing proved to be an effective method for Tennessee to vent his frustrations. For the purpose of this paper, an examination of the plays ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and ‘The Glass Menagerie’ will be conducted. A Streetcar Named Desire focuses mainly on the trials and tribulations of two main characters. Stanley Kowalski who is an auto parts salesman in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. He is of Polish ancestry, served in the Second World War and he is married to Stella Dubois who is the sister of Blanche Dubois, who is from what was originally a very rich family. Stanley is a strong minded character and is proud of the fact that as an average Joe he was able to marry a beautiful wealthy woman. He is an excitable and violent character, even to the point of assaulting his pregnant wife. Blanche Dubois is the sister of Stanley’s wife Stella. Blanch keeps many secrets about her life particularly her loss of the family fortune. She could be considered a strong-minded woman insofar as she is often rude to Stanley by calling him names like ‘Ape’ and using slurs like Polack (A reference to his Polish ancestry). Towards the conclusion of the play Stanley brutally rapes Blanche in a drunken rage and ultimately drives Blanche into a nervous breakdown, and it is Stanley who has her committed to a mental institution. According to the Internet Broadway Database it is the case that Streetcar originally opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on December 3rd 1947 and was directed by Eliza Kazan. Ultimately 855 total performances were given on that run and starred Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski (Who later portrayed this character in the 1951 film adaptation) and Jessica Tandy as Blanche Dubois. Furthermore, this play opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews. The parallels that can be drawn to the life of Tennessee Williams are staggering. The play is set in the French Quarter of New Orleans; an Williams lived in the French quarter. Stanley is an abusive alcoholic salesman and Williams’ father was the same. Blanche Dubois ended up in a mental institution and so did Williams’ sister. The second play that will be examined is The Glass Menagerie. In terms of the plot to the play, it is the case that the format is told as a memory from a Character named Tom Wingfield about his mother and sister (Amanda and Laura respectively). The father figure left the family many years earlier and it is the case that Amanda was from a wealthy family and Laura suffers from a chronic foot problem. Tom worked as a warehouse employee and uses the cinema as a form of escapism from his life. The mother has an obsession to find a good husband for Laura so that she can avoid the life that Amanda has. Laura has an obsession with little glass animals. Tom arranges for Laura to meet a friend named Jim who seems a good candidate for marriage however one learns that he is already engaged to another woman. This causes Amanda to become furious with him at wasting their time which prompts Tom to leave the family. According to the Internet Broadway Database (2010) it is the case that the play premiered a the Playhouse Theatre in 1945 and gave 563 performances. The Directors were Eddie Dowling and Margo Jones, and the play starred Eddie Dowling, Julie Haydon, Laurette Taylor and Anthony Ross as Tom, Laura, Amanda and Jim respectively. Again this play opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews. The parallels that can be drawn to Williams’ life are once again abundant. The high school that Laura and Tom attended was called Soldan High School (The real high school that Williams attended). Williams had a mother who was prone to frequent bipolar outbursts which occurs in the play. The mother character simply wants a better life for her deeply troubled daughter in the play, which parallels that of Williams’ own life. Finally it is the case that the Tom character had to leave his family in order to find happiness which again mirrors that of Williams’ life. References Internet Broadway Database (2010) The Glass Menagerie. [online] Available at http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=1691 Accessed on March 10th 2010. Internet Broadway Database (2010) A Streetcar Named Desire. [online] Available at http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=1804 Accessed ON March 10th 2010. Library at Thinkquest (2010) Tennessee Williams: A Biography in the Shoes of a Famous Author. [online] Available at http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215102/tennesseewilliams.htm Accessed on March 10th 2010. Williams, T. & Waters, J. (2006) Memoirs. New Directions Publishing. Read More