The real Tennessee Williams DAVID STEINBERG Saturday, November 1, 1997 IN 1979, Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams was

honored by the John F. Kennedy Center or the !er ormin" #rts. Lyle Le$eri%h o &an Fran%is%o went to the %eremonies in Washin"ton, '.C., as the (laywri"ht)s s(e%ial "*est. # terward, Williams) brother 'a+in (ro%laimed, "I)m "oin" to write yo*r o i%ial bio"ra(hy." ",.K.," Williams said, "b*t Lyle is my a*thori-ed bio"ra(her." Williams read and li+ed what Le$eri%h had written abo*t his role in the theater. Then, to Le$eri%h, ".o ahead and do it, baby." "It too+ me 1/ years to resear%h and write it," 770year0old Le$eri%h said last wee+ at #CT)s head1*arters on .rant #$en*e. Le$eri%h)s bio, "Tom, the 2n+nown Tennessee Williams," (*blished by Crown in 1993, has been re(*blished in (a(erba%+ by W.W. Norton. "Now I)m wor+in" on the se%ond (art," Le$eri%h said. When he re01*oted Williams) words, in%l*din" ".o ahead and do it, baby," Le$eri%h)s $oi%e rose and he smiled. 4is eyes bri"htened thro*"h his rimless "lasses. 5o*nd0 a%ed, baldin", ob$io*sly %om ortable in a wrin+led (lain 6a%+et, Le$eri%h e7(lained in an ane%dote0 illed ramble why he titled the bio, "Tom, the 2n+nown Tennessee Williams." "4e wasn)t the way he was re(orted to be and *s*ally (resented himsel to be," Le$eri%h said. "4e wanted to ma+e "ood %o(y or himsel and his (lays. To "et (*bli%ity, he said and did thin"s to "et in+ in the (a(ers. "I o*nd him the o((osite o the way he was re(orted. 4e was (rom(t. #lways (ro essional, always on time. 4e rea%ted. Treat him res(e%t *lly, and he treated yo* res(e%t *lly. "8o* %o*ld always eel his eyes b*rnin" thro*"h yo*. 4e wor+ed hard. #lways writin", rewritin" on his (ortable ty(ewriter that he %arried e$erywhere." They met here when Le$eri%h ran the 990 seat &how%ase, now +nown as the Cable Car Theater. From m*t*al riends, Le$eri%h heard Williams had written "The Two0Chara%ter !lay," and wrote to Williams, as+in" to (rod*%e it. "4e said to me, on%e, "I)m always interested in what my a*dien%es thin+.) #nd I told him I was s*re the lo%al %riti%s wo*ld re$iew the (lay," Le$eri%h said. 4e went on to tell more ane%dotes in$ol$in" theater (ersonalities and e$ents that I)m old eno*"h to remember. The ane%dotes %*lminated, somehow, into Le$eri%h sta"in" "The Two0Chara%ter !lay" in 1979. Le$eri%h also sta"ed "The .lass :ena"erie" here. #ll this ha((ened a ter "The .lass :ena"erie" o(ened on ;roadway on 'e%. <, 19=7, and %han"ed the style o #meri%an drama. The (lay made &tanley Kowals+i >:arlon ;rando? and ;lan%he '*;ois >Jessi%a Tandy? 0 later @i$ien Lei"h in the mo$ie $ersion 0 *n or"ettable %hara%ters. Le$eri%h *r"ed Carey !erlo , artisti% dire%tor o #CT, to (rod*%e "&treet%ar" to %elebrate the 3Ath anni$ersary o the (lay that has be%ome an #meri%an %lassi%. ,n :onday, No$. 1A, at 7 (.m. at the .eary Theater, Le$eri%h, dire%tor 'a$id &%hweit-er and !a*l 5obinson, !ro essor o 4*manities at &tan ord, will dis%*ss "&treet%ar 3A 8ears Later." "It)s wron" to %all #CT)s (rod*%tion a re$i$al," Le$eri%h said. "It)s not a re(rod*%tion. It)s a new (rod*%tion. It)s ori"inal, with a new (ers(e%ti$e." I told Le$eri%h I)$e always been dissatis ied with

the endin". 4a$in" ;lan%he ta+en away seems li+e a %o(0o*t, almost a soa( o(era0ish sol*tion. "Tennessee ori"inally wanted to end it the ne7t mornin"," Le$eri%h re$ealed, "by ha$in" ;lan%he and &tanley "o o on the street%ar named 'esire, lea$in" &tella behind. "That endin" mi"ht be more a%%e(table today," Le$eri%h said. "#nd Williams (robably wo*ld ha$e *sed dialo"*e that is more a%%e(table today. 4e was realisti% as well as (oeti%." When (eo(le as+ed him what ha((ened to ;lan%he, Williams said, "I don)t +now." "4e wor+ed hard on the endin". Wrote and rewrote," Le$eri%h said. ";*t, then, Tennessee was always wor+in" hard."

Points For Consideration

1. What does Leverich say Williams did for the purpose of publicity? 2. How does Leverich describe Williams? . !ccordin" to the author of the article# $avid %teinber"# what impact did the openin" of Williams The Glass Menagerie have on &roadway? '. What can we assume about the style of dialo"ue adopted by Williams for the play. Consider Leverich(s comment )Williams probably would have used dialo"ue that is more acceptable today. He was realistic as well as poetic*. +. $o you "et the impression that Williams was completely satisfied with the story# in particular the endin"?