Sheffield Crucible show features four short works by world-famous Tennessee Williams

Theatre company Northern Broadsides returns to the stage at the Crucible in Sheffield with four rarely-performed short works by Tennessee Williams.

By Julia Armstrong

Published 7th Jun 2021, 17:02 BST

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The plays will be performed in the Crucible Studio on June 24-26. Tickets go on sale from Wednesday, June 16 at noon. Go to www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk or call 0114 249 6000.

The Lady of Larkspur Lotion, Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen…, Every Twenty Minutes and The Case of the Crushed Petunias all explore the walls that separate us and how we imagine the

worlds beyond them.

The cast of Beyond These Walls, an evening of Tennessee Williams plays at the Crucible Theatre

The cast of Beyond These Walls, an evening of Tennessee Williams plays at the Crucible Theatre

Tackling themes such as isolation, loneliness and the power of the imagination to bring us together, each of these works by the great American playwright feel very poignant in the light of the pandemic. They will be performed in a northern voice.

Laurie Sansom’s re-imaginings of the plays highlight the breadth and universality of Tennessee’s work behind the traditional trappings associated with his most well-known plays such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or A Streetcar Named Desire.

The Lady of Larkspur Lotion tells the story of Mrs Hardwick-Moore, a long-standing tenant in a cockroach-infested hostel. The landlady is demanding her missed rent payments when they are interrupted by The

Writer, clutching a bottle of whisky and ready to set the world to rights.

A young couple are trapped in a crumbling relationship in their city centre bedsit in Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen…

As the rain batters the window, he tries to piece together his lost hours as she dreams of dissolving into a new life by the coast.

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In the UK premiere of Every Twenty Minutes, a well-to-do couple drink hi-balls in their city centre penthouse, trapped in an endless cycle of bitter banter. Maybe this time things have gone too far?

The Case of the Crushed Petunias, also a UK premiere, centres around Miss Dorothy Simple, owner of Simple Notions, an up-cycling store in Primanproper, who has barricaded her shop (and heart) behind a

double row of petunias. A young man arrives from out of town to suggest an escape route…

The cast are Christine Entwisle, Brianna Douglas, Guy Rhys and Arian Nik.

Laurie Sansom, artistic director of Northern Broadsides, said: “These four short plays by Tennessee Williams all display his compassion, cutting wit and taste for the absurd. Some of them provide glimpses into his creative process but all of them explore what it is to be properly alive.

“I’m thrilled to bring Broadsides’ irreverent style to this giant of the 20th-century American theatre and introduce two gems in their UK premiere.

“We are very grateful to Sheffield Theatres whose generous support has made it possible to make live work again, and the Cultural Recovery Fund which will enable us to share it digitally later in the year with audiences across the country.”

Northern Broadsides is a unique theatre company with a true northern voice – actors all perform in their own accents.

Details of a filmed, on-demand production of the plays will be announced shortly.

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