Review: SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER at Whitmore-Lindley Theatre

Tennessee Williams’ one act SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER launched on Broadway in 1958 as part of a double feature with another of his one acts, “Something Unspoken.” There have been several revivals in addition to a TV adaptation and a 1959 film that garnered three Academy Award nominations. Though, while it is highly regarded, it’s also often overshadowed by some of Williams’ more storied works, such as “The Glass Menagerie,” "The Night of the Iguana," and “A Streetcar Named Desire,” despite fitting comfortably in his oeuvre with its themes of homosexuality and mental illness.

In 1936 New Orleans, the story focuses on Violet Venable (Tanna Frederick), an aging Southern belle, whose poet son, Sebastian, died under mysterious circumstances in Spain the previous summer while he was on holiday with his cousin Catharine (Avalon Stone, who pulls double duty, also directing). Catharine has since been institutionalized while Violet tries to bury the shocking truth she’s trying to tell about last summer to save the family’s reputation, to the point where she’s consulted with a doctor (Brody Orofino) to perform a lobotomy on her niece. But will Violet not accept the story of Sebastian's fate because she doesn’t believe it, or because she understands it to be true? It’s true Southern Gothic.

Williams’ dialogue is, per usual, grandiose and poetic and dark, the story twisted in ways newcomers will not see coming. It’s melodramatic yet not melodramatic enough to be camp. Under Stone’s direction, some of the actors struggle with the flowery language. Tighter direction would help with some distracting actor tics, like not knowing what to do with their hands, rushing through dialogue, and picking at their costume. The performers surprisingly had trouble projecting their voices, considering the theater offers such a tight space. Even in some of the quiet moments, it’s difficult to make out some of the conversation and it’s worse when the air conditioning kicks in or incidental music is played.

Frederick holds court with a breathy splendor and Orofino plays his doctor as sympathetic and grounded, but it’s Wylie Keele as Catharine’s brother, George, who is the real standout, effortlessly inhabiting his supporting role with grace and confidence. It is always impressive how productions make use of the small space of the Whitmore-Lindley Theatre, and this is no exception thanks to the scenic design by Kaspian and solid staging by Stone.

Taking on Tennessee Williams is always a bold choice. The material, the themes, and the characters are all complex, not to mention that purple prose. While SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER still holds up, more assured direction would help this production rise to its source material.

Photo credit: Devin Harris

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