Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Art imitates life: Tennessee Williams’ early career as chronicled by Jacob Storms’ tastefully written and performed TENNESSEE RISING

• By drediman
• April 26, 2021
• No Comments

Last night at the cell – or more precisely, the Chelsea venue’s cozy backyard – I attended Tennessee Rising, a solo show written and performed by Jacob Storms. Despite a rainy start to the day, the evening cooperated brilliantly for the outdoor performance. The play chronicles the early career of Tennessee Williams – circa 1939 through 1945 – with the young playwright finding his voice and footing as an artist, as well as navigating his personal life as a man attracted to other men. Although the play concludes on an upbeat note with the successful Broadway premiere of The Glass Menagerie, there’s a melancholic undercurrent that permeates the piece, including the depiction of this professional breakthrough.

As a one-man play, Tennessee Rising is compact, well-informed, and tastefully written. I particularly appreciate how it skillfully draws continuous parallels between Mr. Williams’ life and his plays. This is clearly evident in his autobiographical The Glass Menagerie, in which Amanda, Laura, and Tom are clear stand-ins for his mother, sister, and the playwright himself. Other examples include anecdotes of encounters with actual personalities who inspired iconic characters like Big Daddy and Maggie the Cat from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, as well as a cameo by an actual Stanley Kowalski (a fellow factory worker). Apart from instances where art imitates life, I also found a beautifully evocative interlude with a lover in Provincetown to be especially well-written.

Mr. Storms’ performance as young Tennessee Williams is as nuanced as it is polished. It’s a carefully calibrated piece of acting that convincingly balances the struggling artist’s uncertainties and hopes. There’s a genteel, slow-burning quality to the performance that would probably register more effectively in an indoor space. Nevertheless, Mr. Storms gives an accomplished, confident performance that engrosses. The flamboyant Alan Cumming ironically directs this iteration of the piece – which Mr. Storms has been performing for a few years now – with subdued grace (special mention to the atmospheric sound design). Although the play is unavoidably episodic, its many transitions are elegantly and efficiently staged by Mr. Cumming and executed by Mr. Storms. In fact, the whole thing goes down as smoothly as a premium shot of whiskey.

RECOMMENDED

TENNESSEE RISING
Off-Broadway, Play / In-Person
the cell
1 hour, 15 minutes (without an intermission)
Through June 27