By Mira Kosherhans
Tennessee Williams and the Battle,by Ryon J. Sharette, enters the theatre world at the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival this August. Ryon J. Sharette is the kingpin of the entire production. The piece is not only written and produced by him, but he takes on the daunting task of portraying Tennessee Williams himself.
A dimly lit writing desk, donned with empty liquor bottles and full ashtrays, is set in the middle of the stage. A man crawls from the curtain, coughing, to the desk. This is the brilliant, successful playwright Tennessee Williams. He is tasked with revising his play “Battle of Angels” after its failure, but Tennessee finds this to be impossible. The plot is fairly simple, typical of one man shows, so its substance is found in its character and writing.
Sharette eloquently pays homage to Williams by shining a light on the toil behind his work. However, the light is a desk lamp light, providing a meager glow. This does not romanticize his pain, but simply shows the reality that Williams seldom felt the joy of success, if ever. Especially at a place like Fringe where many of the attendees are aspiring playwrights themselves, Tennessee Williams is comforting in how their own struggles are similar to one of “the greats”. Save for brief moments, the writing steered remarkably clear of feeling like a soap box.
Sharette’s portrayal of Williams is specific and has an ease that allows the audience to lean in. The character of Tennessee starts the play by discarding the renowned fourth wall with the statement, “I’m just going to talk at’cha.” Tennessee Williams may as well have been on the stage due to the rawness of Sharette’s performance. Sharette is astoundingly captivating, and the hour-long play feels like a mere blink as you are enveloped in every word he speaks. He portrays desperation with his dire stares at the audience, looking each of us in the eyes. While it would have been a nice payoff to see his sob-suppressing-gasps build up to a release and break down, they were notably heartbreaking.
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Audience members don’t need to be familiar with Williams plays to enjoy this work. The Fringe Festival gives the play a rating of “FFF”, or “Fully Fledged Fringe”, which equates to an “R” rating for language, drugs and alcohol, and sexual and mature themes. But, if you do not mind such content, come on over to the Fringe Festival and see Tennessee Williams.
The Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival Presents Tennesee Williams and the Battle by Ryon J. Sharette.
The Gateway, 400 West 100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
August 4-11, 2019, showtimes vary (see festival website for details)
Get Tickets: $10 + $5 festival entrance stamp
Tennesee Williams and the Battle Facebook Event
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