Quickly becoming one of my favorite artists, period. The lyrical qualities and beauty of his plays are truly amazing. Every movement, every word, is almost that of a dream, whether violent, tender, or in between. The characters of his plays are personifications of our own desires, fears, strengths, and weaknesses, and none of his plays can be read without the evocative language grasping the reader a maze of smoke and sensuality. He was the Orpheus of the American stage, and the bard of the South.

His best works:

The Glass Menagerie- Delicate, a memory of Williams' life fading and yet bold as lightning, as fragile as the figures the title refers to,

Orpheus Descending- My namesake, a dream play in which redemption and beauty battle loss and lonliness, the last cry of two souls doomed to damnation.

Summer and Smoke- A sultry, haunting examination of the conflict between the spirit and the flesh, both eternal and ephemeral.

Others that are quite good: A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, Night of the Iguana, Sweet Bird of Youth, etc.

Everyone should read at least one Tennessee Williams play in their life.

Yes, absolutely brilliant.


...I relate far too strongly to "The Glass Menagerie."

I'm only familiar with The Glass Menagerie, and only the Malkovich version at that. I remember laughing and wanting to cry.

Are his plays sold in print form? If so, I'll have to thumb through it next time I'm at Barnes and Noble. So many books to buy...

If first fell in love with him when I read Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Can't forget a Street Car Named Desire.

Aren't most plays sold in print form?

I don't know. Are they?

I'm thinking along the lines of an anthology, maybe with the Glass Menagerie, Street Car, etc. With some introductions to each by literary critics, something along those lines. I'm not too familiar with plays and how they're sold.

Yup. I have three different plays.

burn me a copy? i think you owe it.

If I do that I'll be in ashes... *is confused somehow*

Tennessee Williams: Plays 1937-1955

and

Tennessee Williams: Plays 1957-1980

There's lots of other, smaller anthologies, too. I imagined your local Borders or Barnes & Noble either have these or could at least order them.

Thanks, I'll have to check 'em out.

Nate, have you ever been in any renditions of his plays?

STELLAAA

Have not actually, but we may do Suddenly Last Summer for our One Act, and there's a good chance I'll be cast we do.

Almost all plays are sold in print form, whether in editions intended solely for reading or acting editions, which contain more explicit stage directions and more in-depth info on setting and props as well.

Also, I'd reccomend the anthologies Auggie reccomended, or the anthology containing Orpehus Descending, Summer and Smoke, Suddenly Last Summer, and Period of Adjustment for a more digestible volume.

Yeah. I'd probably recommend one of the smaller anthologies to start off with, as well. The ones I linked to cover every play he ever wrote, I think, so they're pretty thick. Plus, they're hardcover, so they're pretty pricey.

Tennesse Willams hit on my dad. True story

"Well, I must say that I'm guilty as charged"