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Disclaimer:
The reviewers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheatreLouisville.org. |
Peer Reviews An Evening of Tennessee Williams A review by Kate Barry
On Friday, I went to see The As Yet Unnamed Theatre Company's Evening of Tennessee Williams, which featured This Property is Condemned and Suddenly Last Summer. I was not too familiar with either play when I walked into the MeX, but since this is Williams, sexuality is a prominent theme in the plays. Each play offered strong performances with very little set. The choice for minimal sets was smart, considering that Williams' dialogue is heavy with rich content about characters we never meet. Starting with This Property is Condemned, my hat goes off to the two youngsters who had to grapple with the heavy script. Williams' topics aren't the easiest to understand when you're in middle school, but Courtney Doyle and Bradley Geary were confident in their roles as Willie and Tom on those Mississippi train tracks. Doyle was a crowd pleaser in her taffeta dress and smeared lipstick, along with the stories she shared about her older sister Alva and her many beaus.
Suddenly Last Summer followed the fifteen-minute first act. This intense play was captivating and eerie. Sandy Richens Cohrs was phenomenal as Mrs. Venable, a redheaded southern belle from the Old South. Her hatred towards her niece's involvement with her son, Sebastian, certainly made my skin crawl a little up until the last bits of the play. Rachel Knight's performance as Catherine, Mrs. Venable's niece, was strong as well. Her monologues about Sebastian, especially his death, were so emotional that it was almost as though we could see the tragic event happen. Anther notable performance was from Petar Mandic, who played Dr. Cukrowicz (or Dr. Sugar), the saving grace for Catherine. Tim Curtsinger and Emily Miller also provided strong performances as Catherine's siblings. The lighting effects were superb, as were the subtle sounds of birds and trains. The choice for accents in these productions was the only thing that left me a little uneasy. Indeed, these are Williams' plays, and the settings are in the south; however, the choice to act with thick, sometimes over-exaggerated accents can take away from the performance. But this was only a mere criticism to an overall impressive show.
An Evening of Tennessee Williams: This
Property is Condemned and Suddenly Last Summer July
11, 12 ,18, 19 @8pm Directed by Gary Tipton Info: 502-445-3203 Posted July 14, 2008
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