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- The dilapidated house in this play is owned
by Cornelius and Bella McCorkle, in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The time
is during the Christmas holidays and the couple has just buried their
oldest son, a gay man that Cornelius ran off from the home years
earlier and drank himself to death in another town. They also have a
daughter, Joanie, but Cornelius institutionalized her because he felt
she was mentally ill. It’s a rainy night when they get back from the
funeral and after a few drinks Cornelius, an erstwhile wannabe
politician, tries to get his wife to disclose where she concealed a
large amount of money she inherited from her grandfather, who
accumulated his wealth illegally by making and selling moonshine.
Bella suffers from mild dementia and Cornelius threatens her also with
institutionalization if she does not tell him. To their surprise, the
middle son Charlie has come home with his pregnant fiancé, a slightly
ditzy and zealously religious former party girl, but Cornelius objects
to her and soon arguments yelling and even physical violence erupts as
Cornelius attempts to impose his will on everyone.
The play definitely belongs to
Alan Blumenfeld who owns the character of Cornelius McCorkle giving him a
Southern blustery personality that makes him both comic and tragic. His
anxious voice reveals his greed, his overbearing demeanor speaks of a man
who knows he’s grasping for smoke rings in a last gasp for control and
power and you can almost smell the liquor on his breath. Blumenfeld is
wonderfully sparred by Sandy Martin, who gives Bella a broad range of
sensations, drifting from completely lucid, to borderline demented to
totally manic. Bella is the most pitiable and helpless character, becoming
the ultimate classic victim.
The most surprising character is
Stacey, Charlie’s pregnant girlfriend. First introduced as rather shy she
suddenly embraces her overzealous religious faith, praying, jumping on the
coffee table, shouting and speaking in tongues and we never know if she's
trying to impress the family or is a little off. Virginia Newcomb is
terrific in the opening night performance, and she will be sharing this
role with Lisa Richards.
The rest of the cast is
outstanding as well, including Daniel Billet as son Charlie and Robert
Craighead as pseudo entrepreneur Emerson Sykes. Lisa Richards as his wife
Jessica has some excellent moments and Chip Bent as “Pee Wee” Jackson and
Kevin High as Dr. Crane round out the cast.
It has been written that the
broken down old house represents the contemporary society (the play was
first performed in 1982) and the characters are modeled after some of
Williams’ own family. Whatever the case, this play is a powerful
denunciation of a type of life in the South and the Fountain Theatre’s
production is another example of the excellent work that has become a
trademark of the company. Fans of Williams will love this play and those
new to his work could not find a better place to get introduced to one of
America’s greatest writers.
Tickets and information at:
http://www.fountaintheatre.com/perform.html
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