Tennessee Williams: One Act Plays

<p><i>The peak of my virtuosity was in the one- act plays. Some of which are like firecrackers on a rope</i>. Tennessee Williams<br><br>Tennessee Williams''s lesser-known one-act plays reveal a tantalising and fascinating perspective to one of the world''s most important playwrights.<br><br>Written between 1934 and 1980, the plays of the very young writer, then of the successful Tennessee Williams, and finally of the troubled man of the 1970s, this volume offers a panoramic yet detailed view of the themes, demons, and wit of this iconic playwright.<br><br>The volume depicts American life during the Great Depression and after, populated by a hopelessly hopeful chorus girl, a munitions manufacturer ensnared in a love triangle, a rural family that deals "justice" on its children, an overconfident mob dandy, a poor couple who quarrel to vanquish despair, a young "spinster" enthralled by the impulse of rebellion, and, in The Magic Tower, a passionate artist and his wife whose youth and optimism are not enough to protect their ''dream marriage.''<br><br>This collection gathers some of Williams''s most exuberant early work and includes one-acts that he would later expand to powerful full-length dramas: ''The Pretty Trap,'' a cheerful take on The Glass Menagerie, and ''Interior: Panic,'' a precursor to A Streetcar Named Desire.<br>Plays included are: <i>At Liberty, </i><i>The Magic </i><i>Tower, </i><i>Me, Vashya, </i><i>Curtains for the Gentleman, </i><i>In Our Profession, </i><i>Every Twenty Minutes, </i><i>Honor the Living, </i><i>The Cast of the Crushed Petunias, </i><i>Moony''s Kid Don''t Cry, </i><i>The Dark Room, </i><i>The Pretty Trap, </i><i>Interior: Panic, </i><i>Kingdom of Earth, </i><i>I Never Get Dressed Till After Dark on Sundays </i>and <i>Some Problems for The Moose Lodge</i>. The volume also features a foreword by Terence McNally.</p>