by Kirby Lindsay, posted 27 February 2013
Over on Stone Way, Stone Soup Theatre has put together a second production, ‘5 X Tenn(Or So)’, of six short plays by Tennessee Williams, this time directed by Ellen Graham, to run until March 9th.
Five years ago, Seattle’s only one-act theater staged ‘5 X Tenn’ with five short works by Williams, directed by Julie Beckman. The production brought to works published posthumously, and unlikely to otherwise be made available to audiences. It was a rare treat, one that received a warm enough response that Stone Soup Founder Maureen Miko decided to do it again.
A Fan In Fremont
I am so grateful! I saw posters for ‘5 X Tenn’ back when the production ran, and (figuratively) drooled at the thought of an evening of Tennessee Williams.
Williams has long been a personal fav, even though I rarely go see his better known works performed. I’ve just seen so many bad productions of ‘The Glass Menagerie’ and ‘Cat On A Hot Tin Roof’. I won’t cringe and hide at home, however, from a production of ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ because I’ve been lucky enough to see it performed very well – twice!
Williams is not an easy writer. His works are delicate, like many of his characters. Heavy-handed, melodramatic performances can ride right over his solid stories and smoosh his keen insights about inter-personal dynamics. His stories, about broken people at vulnerable moments, desperately require attentive care-and-handling to invite audiences in.
In spite of drippy Lauras (in ‘Glass…’) and repulsively overbearing Big Daddys (in ‘Cat…’,) the writing of Williams is extremely dependable, and varied. He presents new characters, in new situations, rather than the same story over and over. The only sustaining feature of his stories are the ways he could cut to the heart of the characters, to reveal closely held truths that can be too uncomfortable, unpleasant and/or unattractive to acknowledge – sometimes even for the audience.
A Fan Of ‘5 X Tenn (Or So)’
With ‘5 X Tenn (Or So),’ Graham has put together six diverse plays that showcase the writer’s talent at showing people often at the lowest ebb of their lives. Six stories of deeply flawed characters placed in situations that show us who they really are, and help us understand who we may really be.
Williams’ longer, better known works gave him (and audiences) time to learn the characters, but in these shorter works, we meet the characters in the midst of the action. As it is his characters that I enjoy, with ‘5 X Tenn (Or So),’ audiences can enjoy a refined, essential Williams.
In the intimate space of the Stone Soup DownStage, under the spell of the attentive actors that perform in ‘5 X Tenn (Or So)’, audiences can’t escape the characters and their obvious flaws.
For me, in this line-up, Graham saved the best for last. ‘The Big Game’ gives us characters that, at first blush, appear as stereotypes. Yet, the actors – particularly Patrick Baxter, Terrence Boyd, and Jesse Putnam – give us characters realized as multi-layered people worthy of our compassion and understanding.
On the other hand, in ‘The Kingdom Of Earth,’ Williams wrote a piece describing a scene on the verge of violence about an extremely angry man named Chicken. As portrayed by Gianni Truzzi, in this small setting, it is possible to understand almost too well the reasons for his frustrated fury, even if it is impossible to approve of his actions.
The other four plays, chosen by Miko and Graham, present the diversity of Williams, and give clear evidence of his broad talent.
Graham chose to start the evening with ‘The Municipal Abattoir’ and ‘Chalky White Substance,’ two very disturbing, post-apocalyptic plays that deliver a brutal view of society.
From there, the mood lightens with a comedic piece about a disabled woman being abused by two incompetent opportunists – told as only Williams can. Again, ‘Sunburst’ could be performed as a light piece of buffoonery if not for the gravity provided by Miko in the part of ‘Miss Sails,’ and the careful attention to language and details the rest of the cast and the director give the piece.
‘Talk To Me Like The Rain and Let Me Listen’ is too poetic for my tastes, but it also shows the beauty of Williams at his best. Here he has given us characters easy to write off but for the heart, and pathos, he’s instilled in them – and that the actors in ‘5 X Tenn (Or So)’ share.
A Fan Fullfilled
In 2007, I saw the posters for ‘5 X Tenn.’ I checked the name of the theatre, and knew Stone Soup by reputation only, at that time. Still, I knew how to get tickets, how to get to the theatre, and I had, even then, a policy of placing live entertainment as a high-priority. (Movies and t.v. shows can wait.)
Yet, I did not see ‘5 X Tenn.’ I was busy, after all, and thought I’d get another chance…
I did, thanks to Miko, Graham, and an incredibly talented cast and a very hard-working crew. In spite of myself, I was able to see ‘5 X Tenn (Or So)’ and temporarily satisfy my cravings for Williams, and his thought-provoking, colorful stories.
I am very fortunate to be in Fremont, where opportunities to enjoy live theater may repeat. Yet, five years later, I’ve grown wiser and know that second chances don’t come along very often – and are rarely presented so well!
Only two weeks remain in this production of ‘5 X Tenn (Or So)’. For fans of Williams, or those who want to sip a slight sample of his vast library, take action now.
Live theater still lives in Fremont, but Fremonsters have evidence (e.g. Empty Space Theatre) that it isn’t forever. Works by Williams may always be available, in theory, but Stone Soup, and solid productions like this one, may not be if we fail to support them.
Purchase tickets today at Brown Paper Tickets, and find out why I remain a Williams fan in Fremont!
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©2013 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.