It’s show time
Theatre II heads back in time with “Suddenly Last Summer”
Posted on February 14, 2008
“I know it’s a hideous story, but it’s a true story of our time and the world we live in,” freshman Kaitlyn Benetz said as playing Catherine Holly in Theatre II’s Monday night production of Tennessee Williams’s disturbing play “Suddenly Last Summer.”
“Suddenly Last Summer” may not exactly be a true depiction of our time and our world, since the play was written for audiences in the ’50s, but it certainly is hideous. The play drives and twists through a series of clues about the true nature of the characters involved, namely Williams’s somewhat-autobiographical character, Sebastian, who never actually appears on set. Throughout the play, characters make allusions to the truth about Sebastian’s possible sexual relationships with children, his mother and his cousin.
But the end of the play leads the audience to a rather inconclusive place, where people are left with more questions than answers. The play abruptly ends with the hideous revelation that Sebastian has been killed and cannibalized by a band of children.
The audience on Monday night was clearly confused and uncomfortable when the production ended, not knowing exactly when to applaud or what to make of a play with no clear answers.
But this may have been just what Williams intended with the play.
The director, senior Stephanie Ganacoplos, said she was drawn to the content of the play because it was “beautifully disturbing.”
“I hope this play leaves the audience in a state of self-reflection,” she said. “It’s not black and white. Things are not black and white like that, they just aren’t.”
Sphomore Lesie Pumphrey liked William’s play.
“I feel like there was a lot that was left out,” she said. “I wanted to see more of it, the audience was just left with this mystery. There wasn’t closure, but that’s just the play itself.”
Sophomore Shaina Gordon agreed.
“I liked it, it was very intense and just extremely emotionally charged throughout the entire thing and I like that kind of thing” she said. “The ending — I didn’t see that coming at all. It’s built up so much throughout the whole play, ‘What was it? What happened?’ It was different and very unexpected.”
Gordon said her favorite part in the play was delivered by junior Laura Webb.
“I loved at the end when Mrs. Venebale reacted to Catherine, when she got up and semi-attacked her, or tried to, and yelled,” she said. “I thought she did a wonderful job with that.”
Pumphrey though Benetz did well in her role as Catherine.
“It seems like that was a really difficult role to play and being a freshman I think she just did a really good job of getting in touch with the character and being very emotionally charged.”
“I liked the entrance of Mrs. Holly and George, her son,” she added. “You knew that there was tension between them and Mrs. Venebale and it was fun to see that interaction.”
Mrs. Holly was played by Christie Steele and George Holly was played by Zach Moody.
“I think that this is really appropriate for college,” Ganacoplos said about the play. “It’s about time for self-
reflecting.”
“Suddenly Last Summer” runs through Saturday at Theater II at 8 p.m each night, with an extra matinee Saturday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $3.
