The Magic Tower and Other One-Act Plays

by Tennessee Williams, Terrence McNally (Foreword), Thomas Keith (Editor)

A wonderful collection of never-before-collected "The peak of my virtuosity was in the one- act plays. Some of which are like firecrackers in a rope" (Tennessee Williams).
Here are portraits of American life during the Great Depression and after, populated by a hopelessly hopeful chorus girl, a munitions manufacturer ensnared in a love triangle, an overconfident mob dandy, a poor couple who quarrel to vanquish despair, a young "spinster" enthralled by the impulse of rebellion, and, in "The Magic Tower," a passionate artist and his wife whose youth and optimism are not enough to protect their "dream marriage." This new volume gathers some of Williams's most exuberant early work and includes one-acts that he would later expand to powerful full-length "The Pretty Trap," a cheerful take on The Glass Menagerie , and " Panic," a stunning precursor to A Streetcar Named Desire .

The plays
     * At Liberty
     * The Magic Tower
     * Me, Vashya
     * Curtains for the Gentleman
     * In Our Profession
     * Every Twenty Minutes
     * Honor the Living
     * The Case of the Crushed Petunias
     * Moony's Kid Don't Cry
     * The Dark Room
     * The Pretty Trap
     * Panic
     * Kingdom of Earth
     * I Never Get Dressed Till After Dark on Sundays
     * Some Problems for The Moose Lodge

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Ebooks, Drama, Classics

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2011

About the author

Thomas Lanier Williams III, better known by the nickname Tennessee Williams, was a major American playwright of the twentieth century who received many of the top theatrical awards for his work. He moved to New Orleans in 1939 and changed his name to "Tennessee," the state of his father's birth.

Raised in St. Louis, Missouri, after years of obscurity, at age 33 he became famous with the success of The Glass Menagerie (1944) in New York City. This play closely reflected his own unhappy family background. It was the first of a string of successes, including A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955), Sweet Bird of Youth (1959), and The Night of the Iguana (1961). With his later work, he attempted a new style that did not appeal to audiences. His drama A Streetcar Named Desire is often numbered on short lists of the finest American plays of the 20th century, alongside Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.

Much of Williams' most acclaimed work has been adapted for the cinema. He also wrote short stories, poetry, essays and a volume of memoirs. In 1979, four years before his death, Williams was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

From Wikipedia

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a theatre-lover you've undoubtedly seen many (most?) of Tennessee Williams' plays. But you probably haven't seen any of his many Einakter — one act plays and sketches that, according to editor Thomas Keith, Williams wrote throughout his career. I have read many one-act plays over the years and many collections are pretty ho-hum. But this one was absolutely fascinating because we can read everything from absolute Dreck — like Curtains for the Gentleman or The Dark Room to brilliant experimental pieces like I Never Get Dressed Till After Dark on Sundays. In with all this are sketches that let you see where Williams experimented with characters who would eventually appear in Streetcar and Menagerie. And, as someone who writes plays myself, I am especially encouraged by proof that even great playwrights occasionally (and more bravely than I) produce garbage. A wonderful book for Williams lovers and playwrights of every level!

[Joshua · Rating 2 out of 5]

In his introduction, Terence McNally equates reading these previously unpublished works with digging around in William's trash bin. I found the experience to be very similar: here are the B-sides, never intended for publication; sketched out one-acts that would later become Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie; aborted stories and stabs that would later coalesce into the larger themes William so expertly explored in his major works. It's a training ground, of sort, these plays: a place for play and invention. Williams is an incredible playwright, so even reading bad Williams reveals lessons any playwright can take with them to the bank. I wish this kind of thing were required reading for all playwrights. If nothing else, it's comforting to know even the greats have their off days.

[Katie Mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terrence McNally describes this book as sorting through the trash can of a genius, which is a pretty accurate assessment of the experience of reading these short plays. It almost feels like I’m reading williams’ inferior peers, and I feel a sense of guilt for reading the unpublished works akin to the guilt of reading Go Set a Watchman ~6 years ago. It’s interesting to see thematic connections between his works and how his writing/theatrical exploration shifted over time, but they are also clearly drafts of his work.

The notable exception here is “Interior: Panic,” which serves as a predecessor for perhaps his most acclaimed play A Streetcar Named Desire. It was the only time reading that I was enraptured by the work, the theatrical opportunities flying off the page, adding possibly more depth to Streetcar. Williams is my favorite playwright and the one act served as a necessary reminder for Why he is my favorite playwright. Brilliant.

Also no one really captures 20th century America quite like Williams. The eternal ghosts of the south. The midwest in decay. Interestingly, McNally describes feeling close to Williams living in Key West. In some sense of probably misplaced pride, I feel like I ~get~ Williams more than a lot of my peers by having grown up on the Mississippi Delta (probably the most common location of his writing).

[Tristan Robin Blakeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always a treat when a new stash of one-act plays by the American master playwright Tennessee Williams is discovered and published. These are certainly not his finest work ever, but as always, well worth the read. There are always diamonds to be mined from a Williams' script!

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've noticed that many of Williams'short plays were merely seeds of larger works (for example, 'The Pretty Trap' is basically a seedling of 'The Glass Menagerie'). Also, that his short plays show a different (and much darker) side to his work. In a word, excellent.