Four Plays: Summer and Smoke / Orpheus Descending / Suddenly Last Summer / Period of Adjustment

by Tennessee Williams

This anthology contains four of the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright's most brilliant works: Summer and Smoke, Orpheus Descending, Suddenly Last Summer and Period of Adjustment. "The innocent and the damned, the lonely and the frustrated, the hopeful and the hopeless . . . (Williams) brings them all into focus with an earthy, irreverently comic passion."--Newsweek.

Genres: Plays, Drama, Theatre, Fiction, Classics, Southern, Literature

496 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1956

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

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book because I read Period of Adjustment, not because I read this whole book, because I didn't;). Anyway, I loved Period of Adjustment. It was funny and unique and pretty much the only thing I read for AP LIT that didn't have a super depressing ending.

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suddenly, Last Summer- screenplay by Gore Vidal and Tennessee Williams ‘play

A different version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:

- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... and http://realini.blogspot.ro/

Suddenly, Last Summer is an exceptional film.
It is included on the New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made list

And all the elements needed for a masterpiece are in place:

- A wonderful play written by the genius Tennessee Williams and a screenplay where he collaborated with Gore Vidal
- The director is exceptional and the cast is outstanding: Montgomery Clift, Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor

The conditions are perfect and this tense psychological drama is rewarding, even if the suffering of the heroine is hard to watch at times.
In fact, Elizabeth Taylor has won the Golden Globe for her performance and she was nominated, with her partner Katharine Hepburn for an Academy Award.

The tagline of the movie is:

- Tennessee Williams shocks you again as he transports you to a STRANGE, NEW BOLD WORLD!

From the beginning, we learn the plight of this state hospital where complicated operations are performed.
A group of visitors is supposed to watch a splendidly gifted surgeon in action, but the light goes off while he operates.

He is mad at the end of the surgery, performed on the brain and says that he hopes they will not have this chance again.
To watch an extremely complex operation take place in such outrageous circumstances, where not even the lights work.

This is Montgomery Clift as Doctor Cukrowicz of Chicago and he discusses with the manager of the hospital about problems.
They do not have money, but there is some hope, for a wealthy widow is interested in offering some help.

So the doctor meets this would be philanthropist at her weird mansion, where a jungle is placed on the premises.
Mrs. Violet Venable is portrayed by the Cinema goddess Katharine Hepburn in a majestic and appropriately outlandish manner.

The widow tells stories about her son Sebastian, and I was especially struck by the description of the turtles ‘birth.
They all feel the urge to lay eggs on this island and then the small turtles are born and huge numbers of predators circle the area.

We have seen this on Discovery of BBC, but it is still impressive and touching to hear Violet Venable talk about it.
Furthermore, Sebastian said that only a percentage of a percentage escape the many “black birds” and they compare this to the fate of humans.

The rich widow wants the specialist to perform surgery on her niece, who has been with Sebastian when he died and Catherine went crazy.
At least this is the initial version, but as Dr. Cukrowitz meets the young woman and starts to talk with her, there are doubts.

Yes, the experience has been so traumatic that the defense mechanism prevents the patient from remembering what has actually happened at the time of death of the young cousin whose cause of death is given as heart attack.
It becomes clear that Catherine may actually have a better chance than the surgery which is basically a lobotomy.

There are many moments of high tension and superb acting, with Elizabeth Taylor proving extreme talent.
The young woman is evidently tormented and the viewer understands the trauma and the terrible experience she had been through.
It is an issue of PTSD that may be replaced by PTG that is a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that could give way to Post Traumatic Growth.

The fate of the girl is in the hands of the young surgeon and there appears to be an attraction between the two.

Excellent film.

[Eli Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tennessee Williams is obviously an incredibly skilled playwright. I really dug the way some of these plays diverged from strict realism, and I think he has a knack for creating rich, detailed characters with impeccable backstories. Still, most of these plays seem to almost have an interesting action but fall just short - they end up just being about things that happened offstage and we never truly see the consequence of those things. My favorite was Orpheus Descending.

[Anastasia Artemis Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of these four plays by Tennessee Williams I loved three of them. The fourth was not his usual Southern Gothic but instead a comedy, and I didn’t find it funny or good taste. However, the first three were unforgettable, insightful, sensitive, creative, and had me hanging on every line. Tennessee Williams for the win.

[Anne Thessen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Tennessee Williams, so of course, I loved this book. The only play in this book that I hadn't already seen was SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER. I still loved reading the plays even though I had already seen them either on stage (SUMMER AND SMOKE, A PERIOD OF ADJUSTMENT) or in film (ORPHEUS DESCENDING). I don't have the time or the qualifications to go into a full critique of TW plays, so I'll leave it at this. They were good and worth reading.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like plays with plots. Tennessee Williams is the master. Summer in Smoke is a must-read for tragic-romantic types. Suddenly Last Summer was made into a movie starring Elizabeth Taylor. That's quality.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this paperback 4-eva. I've read and re-read each of these plays countless times. Summer and Smoke still breaks my heart.

[Jack Heller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best play in this collection is Orpheus Descending, which seems to anticipate the aesthetic of Sam Shepard. A roaming stranger wearing a snakeskin jacket -- because of course it is -- and disrupts a Mississippi town. Problem: the conjure man is a stereotype, intended only for exoticism.

Suddenly Last Summer is a hot mess of a play, a hodgepodge of Greek tragic elements transferred to New Orleans and Italy for melodramatic effects. The ending would be a challenge to stage because the play narrates what the movie (kinda) shows.

Summer and Smoke reads like Ibsen. I'd see the play if given the opportunity, but it seems slight in reading.

Period of Adjustment: people I don't like taking too long to do anything. Williams doesn't always pace his plays well. I have seen others call this a comedy, but it ain't bustin' me up.

[Vera Novitsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Первая пьеса понравилась, а остальные уже меньше. Написано смело, ярко, все характеры живые и разные, их легко представить, диалоги интересные. Но ситуации, на мой взгляд, слишком смелые и ненормальные. Автор не боится заставлять своих героев действовать, в пьесах есть движение, события, для меня, воспитанной на русской литературе, действия даже слишком много. Атмосфера очень американская, а герои, все без исключения, очень одиноки.

[Madhubrata · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's weird to rate collections. I really liked Summer and Smoke, but Suddenly Last Summer was unmatched. Period of Adjustment was just meh, and the book ending with that kind of dampened the reading experience for me.

[Nick Artrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Orpheus Descending may be a bit of a new favorite, however Suddenly Last Summer is an absolute all time fave. Overbearing mothers, homosexuals, and cannibalism. Who could ask for more? I'm very tempted to give the Liz Taylor film a rewatch!

[KT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer and Smoke 3/5
Orpheus Descending: 4.5/5
Suddenly Last Summer: 4/5
Period of Adjustment: 3/5

still thinking about the bird with no legs who sleeps on the wind

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Tennessee Williams since I got my hands on my mom's small copies of A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, both books reread to pieces in the years when Dumaguete was bereft of bookstores. This book has four excellent stories, the first two of which reveal a palpable desperation for affection, that need for connection. The most unforgettable play in this batch is the third one: Suddenly, Last Summer is overtly surreal, with a conclusion that leaves you wondering, did I read that right, did that actually happen? This was flawlessly brought to the big screen by a stellar cast--Katharine Hepburn as Ms Venable, Elizabeth Taylor as Catherine, Monty Clift as Dr Cukrowitz, and Julian Ugarte, an unfamiliar actor to me, only seen in the fringes of the film, as Sebastian. The fourth--Period of Adjustment, is the probably the lightest play I've read by Tennessee Williams. This too, was made into a movie starring the always dependable Jane Fonda and Jim Hutton.

[Jack Hrkach · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I have not read this particular volume, I have read all of these plays and have seen all of them in some form or another - Suddenly was made into a rather good film, Period of Adjustment was also filmed with good actors, but was not as inherently good a play as the other three. Orpheus Descending is really difficult to stage, but on those few occasions when it is well cast (though Chance is almost impossible to cast adequately), designed and directed it can be powerful - and very dark indeed. Summer and Smoke is one of his earlier plays, and plays well enough, though it's not quite up to the best of Williams's best - which makes it still pretty good!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Williams, it's always flesh and spirit, body and soul, in exquisite conflict. That persistent theme runs through this collection like a vein, with varying results. To my mind, Suddenly Last Summer is easily the best of the bunch. (Though I'll give a shout out to Summer and Smoke, which I liked better as On the Eccentricities of a Nightengale.) There's no such thing an unreadable Tennessee Williams (well, maybe The Rose Tattoo), though, so even the lesser known here are worth reading to see how he flirts with themes more fully explored elsewhere.

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summer and Smoke was definitely my favorite of these four Tennessee Williams plays, but they each have their own charm. All four of these plays were also made into films, and I think Williams translates particularly well to film. I especially want to see Suddenly Last Summer (Katherine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift? Sign me up!)

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really LOVED Suddenly Last Summer; the characters were so engaging that V and I spent many letters analyzing the characters and their motivations. Summer and Smoke…I really did not like the characters and found it hard to get engaged.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer & Smoke and Orpheus Descending were probably my favorite two plays here. I wasn't fond of Suddenly Last Summer. Still, I enjoyed the collection. I can always vividly imagine the scenes in the plays.

[Elspeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interested in the writing behind the great movies. I have to say, the movies gave me more of an emotional charge than the written plays. I suppose since they ARE plays... seeing them acted is the point.

[BurgendyA · Rating 5 out of 5]

These plays were excellent. I loved them all. Tennessee Williams was a brillant playwriter and I truely miss him. Now one write like how he did. So I give this book 2 thumbs up, and would recommend anyone to read it. =)~

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! You sure aren't guaranteed a happy ending when it comes to Tennessee Williams. I enjoyed all four of these plays, but "Period of Adjustment" was my favorite, closely followed by "Summer and Smoke."

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the last one, Period of Adjustment.

[Aspen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' is still my favorite Williams play to date.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A snakeskin jacket and a guitar!

[Karena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still rocks my world.

[Oriana]

Four Plays by Tennessee Williams (2003)

[Southern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sex is a terribly dangerous enterprise, especially in foreign countries or with anyone in Mississippi.

[Mickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I alway enjoy Williams' plays for their many-layered themes and their ability to bring to create vivid and memorable imagery. At once horrible and beautiful.

[Jen]

fine