2 by Tennessee Williams
About the show
St. Luke's Theatre presents a pair of lesser-known one-act plays by the great American master: '27 Wagons Full of Cotton' and 'Kingdom of Earth.' More…
In '27 Wagons Full of Cotton,' shady, middle-aged cotton gin owner Jake burns down rival Silva Vicarro's mill. Hellbent on revenge, Vicarro tries to seduce Flora, Jake’s delicate young wife.
In 'Kingdom of Earth,' a flood is surging in the Mississippi Delta. Chicken is holed up alone on his property when he receives an unexpected visit from his dying half-brother, Lot, and Lot's new wife, Myrtle. Chicken immediately sees Myrtle as a potential threat to his inheritance of the estate, currently under Lot's name. Chicken and Myrtle find common ground though not even footing in their similar experiences of the inescapable hardness of the world, two lost souls falling into a familiar power dynamic and bracing themselves as the waters rise.
“'2 by Tennessee Williams' is an interesting attempt to bring back some of the playwright’s three-character one acts which have not been seen in New York in a long time. They bring to life the Southern rednecks, the rural belles, the effete artist types, and the seductive outsiders that populate Williams’ plays. Unfortunately, this production is woefully inadequate, while the unusual casting of 'Kingdom of Earth' changes the play a good deal from the one that Williams wrote.” Full Review
"'27 Wagons'...Both the men do a perfectly adequate job but it seems the roles should be reversed. Ms. Garfunkel looks and sounds the part, but she misses every nuance of who this character is...In ‘Kingdom of Earth’...Michael Keller is perfectly cast...Ms. Jerome is an actress to keep your eyes on. Directed by Marilyn Fried, she succeeds more in bringing out Mr. Williams' intent in the second piece and not so much in the first." Full Review
See it if you're a T. Williams completist or you can get discounted tickets. The production is solid enough, if not particularly original.
Don't see it if you're planning to pay full price - not worth it. Kingdom Of Earth is far better of the two.
See it if you love rarely performed early Tennessee Williams plays that are earthly and raw.
Don't see it if you don't like 1 act plays
See it if 2nd play was fabulous...great acting and beautifully written.
Don't see it if I was disappointed in the 1st play as it was slow, repetitive nonfunctional speech couldn't hear actress as I was sitting in the back.
See it if Want to think about the human condition, men are not all good. Kingdom of Earth is better performance
Don't see it if uneven performances Mike Keller good, Kathryn Garfunkel missing the mark, others middling
See it if you want to see 2 seldom staged Williams one acts that are precursors to his masterworks and characters.
Don't see it if if you've never seen Williams before. This double bill production is not a good introduction to one of America's greatest playwrights
See it if you love Tennessee Williams or you want to see the wife of Art Garfunkel acting
Don't see it if you have something better to do
See it if lesser known shows by famous playwrights
Don't see it if shows that are mostly talking and don't really have any likeable characters
Cast & Creatives (15)
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