The Night of the Iguana

MorrisCo Art Theatre will present The Night of the Iguana, by Tennessee Williams, from November 19 through 21, 2009, at the Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Artistic Director Susan Morris will direct.

Cast

Reverend T. Lawence Shannon—Glen Bugala

Maxine Faulk—Laurie Atwood

Hannah Jelkes—Colby Halloran

Jonathan Coffin—Robert Green

Judith Fellowes—Patricia Rector

Charlotte Goodall—Lisa White

Jake Latta—Christopher Potter

Hank—Glen Modell

Frau Fahrenkopf—Jody Fisher

Herr Fahrenkopf—Steve White

Hilda—Caitlin Fisher

Wolfgang—Nick Fisher

Pedro—Ernesto Aguilar

Pancho—Nathan Corliss

The Story

John McClain's outline: "Within the broken down environs of a cheap Mexican resort hotel [Williams] has created a mood of pervading loneliness and despair as intrusive as the Equinoxial storm that stirs sudden lightning flashes and gushes through the tattered room.

The desolation, the emptiness are in his people: the tough, sex-starved widow who runs the hotel; the neurotic, defrocked minister, and the gentle maiden lady from New England. Thrown together in this squalid setting their human needs become explicit, and from their conflicts comes the realization that life must be endured, and that the spirit will somehow survive even beyond the limits of anguish.

Mr. Williams veers off in many philosophic directions in this searing pastorale, but he is chiefly concerned with the relationship of the Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon and Miss Hannah Jelkes, the sad, fortyish lady who travels the world with her grandfather ('the oldest practicing poet in the world'), painting quick portraits, for a fee, while the nonagena rian recites poetry to hotel guests.

Rev. Shannon, having been relieved of his cloth for sexual irregularities, has landed at the Costa Verde hotel, near Acapulco, on the verge of one of his periodic mental breakdowns. The proprietress, an old friend, is prepared to offer him a bed and will, in fact, share it with him if he wishes.

But then Miss Jelkes and her grandpa arrive, penniless but prepared to offer their services to the guests in return for lodging. There is a strange and immediate rapport between the discredited cleric and the lonely artist.

The play's most poignant moments—scenes of enormous compassion—grow out of the understanding of these two people, their mutual need for companionship and roots, their final moments of nobility in small gestures of unselfishness to aid one another."

Criticism

Tennessee Williams' The Night of the Iguana is the last of the distinguished American playwright's major artistic, critical, and box office successes. First performed on December 28, 1961, on Broadway in the Royale Theatre, The Night of the Iguana won Williams his fourth New York Drama Critics Award.

Like other plays by Williams, The Night of the Iguana focuses on sexual relationships and odd characters, including one crippled by his desires, the Reverend Shannon. Indeed, in retrospect, many critics see The Night of the Iguana as the link between stylistic eras (early/middle to late) for Williams. They argue that Williams reveals more of himself in this play than his previous work.

Indeed, unlike many of Williams' plays The Night of the Iguana ends on a positive, hopeful note. However, some contemporary critics of the original Broadway production found the play lacking form and derivative of Williams' earlier successes, such as A Streetcar Named Desire.

There has also been a lingering controversy over what the iguana, mentioned in the title, represents. The iguana, which spends most of the play tied up on the edge of the veranda, is seen as a symbol for a number of things, including freedom, what it means to be human, and Shannon. As an unnamed critic in Time magazine wrote, ''Purists of the craft may object that, strictly speaking, The Night of the Iguana does not go anywhere. In the deepest sense, it does not need to. It is already there, at the moving, tormented heart of the human condition."

Reviews

"…an awesome and powerful new drama." — NY World Telegram & Sun
"…Williams' most mature work." — NY Daily News
"…the most fruitful and versatile exercise by our best living playwright." — NY Journal-American
"…Tennessee Williams at the top of his form." — NY Times

The Movie

The movie version of The Night of the Iguana put Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, on the map—it didn't even have scheduled air service before John Huston shot the film there. Elizabeth Taylor's appearance on the set and her ensuing scandalous affair with Richard Burton made headlines around the world, while the young woman who has seduced Shannon was played by Sue Lyon, of Lolita fame. Now it's a top resort destination with thousands of hotel rooms and is a popular cruise ship port.

The Night of the Iguana Performances

Location: Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron St., Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197.

Dates and Times: Thursday through Saturday, November 19 through 21, 2009, at 8:00 pm. Matinee on Saturday, November 21, at 2:00 pm.

For ticket information, please call (734) 996-2549 or e-mail info@morrisco.org.

MorrisCo Art Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit theatre, and has been producing high-quality modern dramas and comedies since its inception in 1995.

MorrisCo Art Theatre is a group of Ann Arbor area actors, designers, and directors who are committed to excellence and the highest standards of theatrical production.

If you would like to learn more about our organization, or become a patron, please contact us.

Tickets or information:
(734) 996-2549
info@morrisco.org