September 22, 2009 Fringe Arts

Last Summer stays relevant

by David AdelmanAalia Adams

The sombre cast of Suddenly, Last Summer get crazy in Davyn Ryall’s adaptation of the 1958 play.

Insanity! Homosexuality! Lobotomies! Oh, my!

If any of the above strike fear into your heart, it might be best to avoid Village Scene Production’s Suddenly, Last Summer, one of Tennessee Williams’ eeriest plays. Although legendary playwright Williams wrote the play more than half a century ago, director Davyn Ryall explained that many of the play’s themes are still relevant today.

“It was written ahead of its time,” he said. “It still touches many of today’s issues: an economic crash, medical ethics and the controversy of homosexuality.”

Last Summer was first performed off-Broadway in 1958. For this production, however, the play was adapted for modern audiences. With respect to the 1936 setting, director Ryall spent an entire year rewriting the script, adding a Hitchcockian-flavour to the psychological thriller.

Village Scene Productions has a long history of taking classic plays and adapting them to make something interesting and different, said box office manager Stefan Peterson.
“People are excited to see a good play that has been modified and changed,” he said, adding that Ryall consistently gives the audience “a lot of hidden surprises.”

“There’s something in there for everyone, but it’s not a musical,” said Ryall of the play. “It’s a heavy piece, but there is an equal emphasis on comedy.”

Doreen Fagan, a graduate of Concordia’s theatre production program who plays Violet Venable, said she got the chance to meet Tennessee Williams in person before his death in 1983.

“I am always in awe of that man,” she said, adding that she felt Williams knew all his characters on a personal and objective level, onstage and in reality. Fagan advised Concordia students to see the play because it still resonates today.

“Leave your iPods and schedules at home and listen to the story of this play,” said Fagan. “Nothing is as good as the spoken word.”

Suddenly, Last Summer runs Sept. 22 to Oct. 4 at the Players’ Theatre on McGill University campus (3480 McTavish St., #309). Tickets are from $12 to $24.