We don’t like to moan (much) but where are all the London productions celebrating the late, great Tennessee Williams?
His centenary falls this week, 26 March, but you would hardly know given the absence of any major London productions of his work. So hats off to the tiny Cock Tavern Theatre for running its current centenary season, including lost play I Never Get Dressed Till After Dark On Sunday.
Whilst home-grown talent such as Terence Rattigan deserve the incredible attention that his centenary is garnering this year (last year’s After the Dance, this year’s Cause Celebre and Flare Path to name but three), we would have liked to see something major in London to mark the occasion of Tennessee’s birth.
Williams may be constantly revived in the UK, the Donmar’s 2009 production of A Streetcar Named Desire starring Rachel Weisz being a good recent example, but his extraordinary influence on world theatre, and especially British theatre, deserves some recognition around his actual centenary.
And Make&Bake Productions wouldn’t miss out either –
Make&Bake present a double-bill of one-act American plays:
The European Premiere of Blind Date by Academy Award winner Horton Foote
&
27 Wagons Full of Cotton by Tennessee Williams
‘A hymn to loners and misfits…suggests Foote deserves to get his toe
inside the door of British theatre…[27 Wagons Full of Cotton] shows
Williams’ lifelong sympathy for the emotionally damaged and…makes an
ideal partner to Foote’s whimsically satirical anecdote’ – The Guardian
‘A magnetic double-bill; with a fine debut from Francesca Fenech’ ****
Theatre Reviews London
‘Suresh Patel’s production makes the very most out of Williams’ script’ –
The Stage
‘An excellent juxtaposition of plays…the acting is superb in
both…compelling viewing’ – A Younger Theatre
‘Powerful Work’ **** Fringe Review
Southern discomfort skilfully served Š Beautifully crafted and very well
acted
Reviewsgate
A great opportunity to see two unknown plays by iconic American
playwrights, more specifically Williams in his centenary year:
* Riverside Studios, Studio 3
* 7:45pm (with an interval of 20 mins)
* Until 13th November
* http://www.riversidestudios.co.uk / 0208
237 1111
We are also shocked at the lack of Tennessee Williams productions in his centenary year!
We are proud to be presenting one of his rare works: ‘Kingdom of Earth’ at The Print Room in Notting Hill until 28 May.
More info at http://www.the-print-room.org