Review: LIFE UPON THE WICKED STAGE is a Trio of One Act Plays by Tennessee Williams Now Playing at The Curtain Call Lounge

Tennessee Williams penned more than 70 one act plays in his lifetime. His earliest works date back to 1935 while he was still living in St. Louis. Three of his short plays, IN OUR PROFESSION, THE MAGIC TOWER, and THE FAT MAN’S WIFE, are featured as a three-part cabaret performance titled “Life Upon the Wicked Stage,” currently playing at The Curtain Call Lounge as part of the 9th Annual Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis  

In 1936 Williams wrote THE MAGIC TOWER for a play writing contest that was sponsored by Webster University in St. Louis. THE MAGIC TOWER tells the story of Jim, a struggling artist and his actress wife, Anabelle, who quit acting when they married. They are poor, behind on rent, and live in a run-down apartment. They are so happily in love they look past their struggles and find charm in the dump where they live.  

IN OUR PROFESSION and THE FAT MAN’S WIFE were written in 1939. William’s IN OUR PROFESSION sees Annabelle, again an actress, looking to find a husband to rescue her from a traveling acting job. Is she a skilled enough actor to convince men she barely knows to marry her?  

In THE FAT MAN’S WIFE, Annabelle and her rotund husband, Joe, return home from a bawdy New Years Eve party where they kibitzed with other men and women. Young Dennis shows up at Annabelle’s door and tries to convince her to run away with him. Seem’s Annabelle’s kiss at the party meant more to Dennis than it did to Annabelle.  

This Trio of one act plays from early in his career are not like the later dramas written by Tennessee Williams. The plays all have an element of optimism and romance, themes of love conquering problems, and quite a bit of humor. The inclusion of Annabelle as his protagonist in each of the plays makes one wonder if the young Tom Williams had a muse that inspired his earliest works. The plays conclusions do foreshadow the bleak drama of his later works. In each story, the bloom comes off the rose, and the audience is left with a melancholy ending to a sweet story.  

The production is artfully directed by Brian Hohlfeld, and skillfully acted Julie Layton (Annabelle), Donna Weinstein (Chanteuse/Mrs. O’Fallon), Julia Crump (Babe), Gary Barker (Richard/Mitch/Joe), and Dominic DeCicco (Paul/Jim/Dennis). The short plays move briskly on a simple set that Hohlfeld adapted with props for each story. William’s stories are amusing, and they flow together nicely thanks to the actors' fine performances. Layton, Barker, and DeCicco have the heaviest lift filling multiple roles across the three shows.   

This is an excellent chance to see a few well-produced versions of Tennessee Williams early works. It is a significantly different side of the Pulitzer winning author that is rarely seen. Click the link below to purchase festival tickets and take a unique glimpse into the work of the young playwright who was destined to become a prolific and revered dramatist.  

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