The Night of the Iguana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Night of the Iguana is a stageplay written by American author Tennessee Williams. It premiered in Broadway in 1961, and was based on a 1948 short story by Williams. There have been two film adaptations made, including the Academy Award-winning 1964 film of the same name. Set in 1940s Mexico, the main character is an ex-minister, Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon. He was locked out of his church after he characterized the Occidental image of God as a "senile deliquent," during one of his sermons. He is not de-frocked, but rather institutionalized for a "nervous breakdown." Some time after his release, he assumed his currently responsibilities as a tour guide for a second-rate travel agency. Shortly before the opening of the curtain, Shannon is accused of having committed a statutory rape of a sixteen-year old girl, named Charlotte Goodall, who is accompanying his current group of tourists.
As the curtain rises, Shannon is arriving with a group of women at a cheap hotel on the coast of Mexico managed by his friend Fred and Maxime. The former has recently died and Maxine Faulk has assumed the sole responsibility of managing the establishment. Shannon, in the middle of another nervous breakdown, tries to manage both his tour party (who have turned against him for entering into sexual relations with the minor) and Maxine (who is interested in him for purely carnal reasons). Adding to this chaotic scene, a strangely virginal spinster, Hannah Jelkes appears with her moribund grandfather, Nonno, who, despite his severe"decripitude", is composing his last poem. She barely scrapes by as traveling painter and sketch artist and finds herself at the end of her rope, that is to say at Maxine's mercy. Shannon, who wields considerable influence over Maxine, assures her shelter for the night. The play's main axis is the development of the deeply human bond between Hannah and Shannon, whose names even resemble each other.
Like the Iguana, captured and tied to a pole by the Mexicans in the play, they have come to the end of their rope. This metaphor is intensified when Shannon tears at his golden cross on his neck, lacerating himself, in order to free himself from its constraints.
Minor characters in the play include: a), a group of German Tourists whose Nazi Marching Songs paradoxically function to lighten the heaven themes of the play and yet cast us deeper into human suffering as the remind us of the horrors of the World War, b) the Mexican "boys" Maxine employs to help run the hotel who comically ignore her laconic commands, c) and Judith Fellowes "the butch" vocal teacher charged with Charlotte's care during the trip. The latter is one of Williams few overtly lesbian characters, see A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur by Williams where a love triangle between three women is the play's sole interest.
Contents |
[edit] Original Broadway stage production
The play premiered on Broadway at the Royale Theatre on December 28, 1961 and ran for 316 performances. It starred Patrick O'Neal as Rev. Shannon, Bette Davis as Maxine and Margaret Leighton as Hannah. It also featured Alan Webb, Louis Guss, Bruce Glover and James Farentino. The production was directed by Frank Corsaro and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play. Leighton won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
[edit] Film versions
Main article:The Night of the Iguana (film)
The 1964 film version was directed by John Huston and starred Richard Burton as Rev. Shannon, Ava Gardner as Maxine and Deborah Kerr as Hannah. It also featured Sue Lyon, Cyril Delevanti and Grayson Hall, who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in this film. The screenplay was written by Huston and Anthony Veiller. The film won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design (B&W), and in addition to Ms. Hall's nomination, was also nominated for its Cinematography (by Gabriel Figueroa) and Art Direction. The film removed the Nazi tourist characters from the original stage version.
There was a 2000 Serbo-Croatian film version that was directed by Janusz Kica.
[edit] More stage productions
A 1976 Broadway revival at the Circle in the Square Theatre featured Richard Chamberlain as Rev. Shannon, Dorothy McGuire as Hannah and Sylvia Miles as Maxine. The Circle in the Square Theatre also staged a 1988 revival starring Nicolas Surovy as Rev. Shannon, Maria Tucci as Maxine and Jane Alexander as Hannah.
In 1996, a Broadway revival was directed by Robert Falls featuring William Petersen as Rev. Shannon, Marsha Mason as Maxine and Cherry Jones as Hannah. This was based on a 1994 production staged by the Goodman Theatre in Chicago.
In London, a 1992 production at the Royal National Theatre featured riveting performances by Alfred Molina as Rev. Shannon and Eileen Atkins as Hannah. This production was directed by Richard Eyre.
A critically acclaimed 2006 London production at Lyric Theatre starred Woody Harrelson as Rev. Shannon, Clare Higgins as Maxine and Jenny Seagrove as Hannah.
[edit] Music
The title of a song by Joni Mitchell from her 2007 album, Shine. It is a thematic and lyrical adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play.
|
||||||||||||||
