SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER A REVIEW

To celebrate Tennesee Williams' 100th birthday the excellent White Horse Theatre Company is presenting one of his darkest and most complex plays "SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER"and [as usual] is doing a first rate job of it, and Cyndy A. Marion [ who's stage direction is way beyond first rate] again proves herself to be a master at sizing up difficult, challanging plays and making them into rich theatregoing experiences.
This self described allegory about how deep human cruelty can go started life as part of a double bill Off Broadway called "Garden District" in 1958 right after the Broadway failure of "Orpheus Descending" and about a year before his Broadway success with "Sweet Bird Of Youth" It deals with a strange, distant lady who is trying to talk a young doctor into lobotomizing her neice to keep her from revealing a deep dark family secret and much of the time Mr. Williams has his characters talk directly to the audience. While this device does not always work out it is sometimes effective and successful at making the plays' sometimes needless symbolism clear, and under Ms. Marion's expert staging the cast is astonishingly good.
As the cruel lady who will do anything to protect a secret Elizabeth Bove is nothing short of titanic in an almost impossible role delivering the long asides with a facility that is almost astonishing, and Lacy J.Dunn is every bit her equal as the neice.
They are backed up by a cast that is from top to bottom superb.
"SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER" is not perfect and it's unrelenting symbolism will limit it's appeal to many people,but it has many fine moments in it and once again Ms. Marion proves herself to be one of New York's finest stage directors.
As it stands, this is a rich rewarding theatre evening and well worth checking out.
THE WHITE HORSE THEATRE COMPANY AT THE HUDSON GUILD THEATRE 441 WEST 26th STREET N.Y.C. thru October 2nd.