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Westport marks Williams centennial with 'Suddenly Last Summer'Aug 11, 2011 (Connecticut Post - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Westport Country Playhouse is celebrating the Tennessee Williams centennial with a production of the drama "Suddenly Last Summer," which will open on Tuesday, Aug. 23. One of the most exciting aspects of the show for Connecticut theatergoers will be the presence of Annalee Jefferies in one of the starring roles. Jefferies earned a reputation as one of the foremost interpreters of Williams' work in this country through a series of productions at Hartford Stage. While Michael Wilson was artistic director of Hartford Stage, he did a major Williams production every season. Jefferies, who is a Texan, had worked with Wilson on a number of shows at the Alley Theatre in Houston before he took over the Hartford venue. Wilson brought the actress to Connecticut for a triumphant "A Streetcar Named Desire" -- she played Blanche DuBois -- which was so popular that it was brought back for a return engagement. The actress went on to star in "The Night of the Iguana" and other Williams plays, including a two-evening exploration of rarely performed short pieces by Williams that was called "Eight by Tenn." Jefferies' last appearance in Connecticut was in the 2009 production of Horton Foote's "The Orphans Home Cycle," which opened in Hartford and then moved to New York City for a six-month run. In "Suddenly Last Summer," Jefferies is playing Violet Venable, who fights to preserve the reputation of her son Sebastian Venable after he dies under bizarre circumstances in Europe. Violet doesn't want her niece Catherine to talk about the death and tries to have the young woman lobotomized. The play was transformed into a hit 1959 film that earned Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor Oscar nominations for their performances as Violet and Catherine. Director David Kennedy -- who is associate artistic director of the playhouse -- said, "I've wanted to direct this play forever. I find it so exciting ... Williams' uncanny blend of psychological insight, intense emotion and grand theatricality put me in mind of the most towering Greek tragedies." Catherine is being played by Liv Rooth, who appeared in the recent Broadway revival of "Born Yesterday" with James Belushi and Robert Sean Leonard. Westport Playhouse is encouraging post-show discussions of the play in a special salon that will take place after every performance in the Smilow Lounge on the playhouse's mezzanine level. In addition to these post-show gatherings, the theater will host a symposium after the 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Aug. 28. Williams scholar Annette J. Saddik will talk about the origins of "Suddenly Last Summer" and the writer's fascination with the darker aspects of human experience. The theater has invited actor Richard Thomas to do a one-night-only performance of a Williams piece, "A Distant Country Called Youth," on Aug. 29 at 7 p.m. The presentation is based on a collection of letters written by Williams when he was a young, aspiring playwright. The playhouse is offering a number of special discounts on "Suddenly Last Summer," with all students and educators eligible for half-price tickets. Patrons 35 and under can get into Friday night performances for $25. For information or to order tickets, call 203-227-4177 or visit www.westportplayhouse.org. The venue is fully engaged on the social networks Facebook and Twitter (@WCPlayhouse) and has been posting videos on YouTube. The theater is also providing a regular behind-the-scenes "insider's peek" on the blog it sponsors at www.theplayhouseblog.org. To see more of the Connecticut Post, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ctpost.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, Connecticut Post, Bridgeport Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |