“Time is the longest distance between two places.” — Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie
Tennessee Williams was born on March 26, 1911, and died in 1983. Barely a season goes by where one of his plays is not performed. The latest two on Broadway were The Glass Menagerie. and The Glass Menagerie. — many more Off-Broadway (see below)
Here are some favorite lines from his plays:
“What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but the human heart, oh, no, it’s curved like a road through mountains.” ~ A Streetcar Named Desire
“When so many are lonely as seem to be lonely, it would be inexcusably selfish to be lonely alone.”
Camino Real
“What is the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof? I wish I knew. Just staying on it I guess as long as she can.”
~ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
“We all live in a house on fire, no fire department to call; no way out, just the upstairs window to look out of while the fire burns the house down with us trapped, locked in it.” ~ The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore
“What on earth can you do on this earth but catch at whatever comes near you, with both your fingers, until your fingers are broken?”
~ Orpheus Descending
“Everybody is nothing until you love them.”
― The Rose Tattoo
“I don’t want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be the truth. And it that’s sinful, then let me be damned for it!” ~ A Streetcar Named Desire
Recent Off-Broadway revivals and adaptations.
A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur Review: Tennessee Williams Late, Witty Play About Four Women
Summer and Smoke Review: Marin Ireland in Tennessee Williams’ Play About Longing
Desire Review: Six Tennessee Williams Short Stories Newly Adapted for the Stage
Stella! Tennessee Williams Festivals, From NY to New Orleans, Mississippi to Massachusetts
