Henderson Oracle

Issue date: 11/16/09 Section: Features

Media Credit: Judea Jackson Here's the setup - "Suddenly Last Summer" takes place in a garden setting with wicker furniture, marble stauettes and fountatin center stage. This is Henderson's second play of the semester. The play was written by Tennessee Williams and directed by Doug Gilpin. The play stars Nicole Amonette Kelly and Stephanie Ouimet. Set in the fall of 1935, the play takes place in the Garden District of New Orleans, La. The play is one act and only lasts about 90 minutes. Remaining show dates are Nov. 16, 19, 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Studio Theatre of Arkansas Hall. Tickets are free with a valid Henderson student ID.

The chandelier is crooked. That is the first thing I noticed after taking my seat in Arkansas Hall. I was there for the Henderson Theatre's production of Tennessee Williams' play "Suddenly Last Summer," a family drama staring Nicole Amonette Kelly and Stephanie Ouimet as Mrs. Venable and Catharine Holly, respectively.

The play is directed and designed by Doug Gilpin with directing assistance from Rebecca Manion, while the lighting was designed by Fred-Allen Self, and the sound and graphics were designed by Claudia Beach. This is the second production put on by the theatre department this fall, and the third time Henderson has put on this particular play.

Set in fall of 1935 in the Garden District of New Orleans, La., the backdrop is a beautifully articulated and sureal vignette of French doors in front of an askew ocean scene. The action takes place in a garden setting with wicker furniture, marble statuettes and a beautifully crafted fountain center stage.

The surreal softness of the set and the subtle lighting scheme is a nice juxtaposition against the foreboding macabre of Willams' 1958 Southern Gothic script.

The details are key for this one-act play.

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