Suddenly Last Summer and Like the Rain

Tennessee Williams is enjoying a bit of a renaissance in Scottish theatre, mostly thanks to the current season of Glasgay! Nowhere is this more apparent than at the Tron, which is staging five pieces, most of them dramatic minuets.

Most prominent is the vicious one-act Suddenly Last Summer. Steeped in the usual Williams' themes of understated violence, mental health and simmering sexuality (along with closeted homosexuality), the story deals with the financial legacy of a Southern American family and the repercussions of matriarch Mrs Venable's failure to accept the truth surrounding the death of her beloved son.

According to the programme notes, director Andy Arnold wanted to stage this piece for some time, and his passion is quite clear. It is well staged and performed, with meticulous attention given to individual characters and their relationships with one another. Only the occasional dips heard in the rather forced accents can be faulted, but these are mostly forgiveable, as are the occasional lapses in pace during the middle section.

Less forgivable, however, are the sound and design. The sound is mostly intrusive, with only the flourishes added to the final monologue serving any dramatic purpose. The set and the lighting are absolute failures in concept for such a dark piece; their colourful and two-dimensional nature look more in line with Disneyland attractions than any serious attempt to create a Southern American home. One is likely to whistle 'Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah' and expect the Mad Hatter's tea party to commence at some point.

Far more successful is the execution of the short pieces. Played by the cast of Suddenly, each scene manages to convey more character and emotion than most of the other Williams' work seen in Scotland this year. From the curtain riser, A Perfect Analysis Given By a Parrot, to the three short pieces that conprise Like the Rain, each scene proves to be well staged, performed and designed. They also make one appreciate Williams' excellent ability in creating interesting, faulty characters and his skill in composing dialogue that sounds naturalistic and poetic at the same time.

Suddenly Last Summer and Like the Rain are both successful productions that are more than worthy of an evening's time, comprised of powerful theatre that shows one of the 20th century's greatest playwrights at the peak of his power. You'll be hard pressed to find a better production of Williams' work in the near future than this.