Tennessee Williams, T-shirt Modernism and the Refashionings of Theater

Description

Tennessee Williams, T-shirt Modernism and the Refashionings of Theater reappraises the received wisdom that Williams's work fell into decline in the late 1960 as the Naturalism he was associated with, not always through his own choice, was replaced by European theatrical experimentalism and as culture saw a lifting of sexual restrictions. It suggests, instead, that Williams was always experimental, always more Chekhov than Ibsen, a lyrical playwright inflected with the poetry of Harte Crane, and that his late plays are as central to Williams's reshaping of American theater as those works of the immediate post-World War II era that brought him fame and fortune. Its general aim, then, is to engage the perception that "Tennessee Williams is the greatest unknown playwright America has produced" (David Savran, City University of New York). In many respects the work of Tennessee Williams, after a protracted period of neglect, is primed for reappraisal , reinterpretations and, subsequently, re-stagings. This work is part of that process, academically at very least, but performatively as well as academic reinterest often regenerates theatrical reinterest.

S. E. Gontarski is Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of English at Ohio State University. He is a writer, director and filmmaker who specializes in twentieth-century Irish studies, in British, U.S., and European Modernism, performance theory, history of text technologies and modern(ist) book history.

"Gontarski's new book about Tennessee Williams brings us to the sultry Southern stages where T-shirts were not just props randomly taken from wardrobes but new signs of an evocative dramatic language. As his themes became less relevant for modern generations, the playwright's signature appeal changed from erotic ambiguity to stylistic sophistication. And a question arises: is Williams' theatre better suited for American or for European directors? Gontarski looks for answers, his investigations ranging from the heyday of the playwright's global fame to less-studied productions of his work in the 21st century." - Alessandro Clericuzio, Associate Professor, University of Perugia "When does a work become a classic of literature and the repertory of reference for theatre? When it lasts over time and reveals ever-increasing new aspects that confirm its relevance and help in understanding the present. This question is the base of the very interesting and original approach of this book, making it to refocus the analysis on Tennessee Williams, to overcome the most current critical studies and concentrate mainly on the latest, though less studied, production, as well as to examine Williams' creativeness and his growing success outside the United States, especially in Europe." -Annamaria Cascetta, Full Professor of History of Theatre, Centre of research in theatrical studies of the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy "By adopting a style that favours immediacy, nicely waving together Williams' words from his plays, excerpts from theatre critics' reviews and interviews, and many more from academic and other sources, this book will provide a great reading opportunity and also spur on theatre professionals, e.g., directors, actors, producers, and people passionate about theatre in general and Williams's work in particular, which is extensively known and recognized both in Europe and America though still not in its entirety."- Laura Santini, Ricercatrice (RTDa) / Tenure-track lecturer, English Language and Translation, Universita di Genova