Customer Reviews

The Night of the Iguana

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Night of the Iguana" is a Tennessee Williams play unlike any other. Set at a Mexican hotel in the early 1940's, the drama presents several character portraits of searing intensity. The minister Shannon -- tortured with self-loathing over his inability to control his sexual appetite -- has abandoned a tour bus he has been leading and has come to stay with an old friend, Maxine. Shannon is suffering a nervous breakdown, and it is only through the near-angelic presence of Hannah Jelkes, a visitor at Maxine's, that he is able to understand himself and the actions which have brought him to this state. While so many of Williams' characters (including Shannon) feel shamefully about love and sex, in Hannah Jelkes he has created a character entirely without shame. Hannah is Williams' ideal -- a person living living free of societal mores, who (like Blanche DuBois) is offended only by deliberate cruelty and unkindness. The third act, in particular, is transfiguring; had Williams written nothing else, this act alone would guarantee him his place among the greats.

I bought this New Directions Paperbook because I'd seen John Huston's masterful film adaptation many times and wondered how it might differ from the original. I think this is one of those rare occasions when the original and the film are equally great. What really moves me to write my first Amazon review, though, is not only Williams' masterpiece, but also the generous features that New Directions adds to it: a list of Williams' oeuvre, a chronology of his life, the Williams short-story that inspired his play, and three superb articles. The first is a beautiful and affectionate memoir by prize-winning playwright Doug Wright. Another is by Williams himself, a memoir about how he came to write "Iguana". Another - the best - is a keenly insightful essay by Kenneth Holditch about "Iguana" - very comprehensive about its theology and characters. All this for 14.95??? What a bargain! THANKS, New Directions!

The best play of Tennessee's late period, The Night of the Iguana features one of his best characters, in the shape of Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon, a self-hating, sexually angst ridden, anti-reverend, for whom life is now breaking down, again.

Into the hidden Mexican hotel run by the America ex-pat Maxine comes Shannon, again to reconcile his life, where he meets the vagabond painter Hannah and her 97-years-young poet grandfather.

Shannon has been leading tours throughout the world over the years since his explosion at the pulpit propelled him out of the church's favor, and now he has abandoned a busload of Texas women who are fed up with his philandering and his off-the-beaten-path tactics.

All of the drama and trauma of classic Tennessee Williams is here. The tortured Reverend, at odds with God in such a cruel world. A man whose sexuality has been more detrimental than pleasurable. As well, there is Maxine, a middle aged widower, stuck or something like it in Mexico, running a cheap, rough and tumble hotel, far away from the nonsense of cities and America. Then, the spirited Hannah, who takes to Shannon as he to her, in a feeling out of hard hearts, and lonelinesses.

Better than most of his plays, The Night of the Iguana succeeds in it's treatment of lost souls, and the meeting of two people destined for loneliness and disappointment.

The review under mine is ridiculous. This person obviously knows nothing about Tennessee Williams. And incidentally, I have no interest in his email address which he egomaniacally implies one should look for. The characters in this play are not hysterical (except Shannon once when he goes off the deep end, and that's not hysteria come to think of it). This is a beautiful, moving, perceptive and exceptional play. I won't give away the plot in case anyone wants to read it. Williams wrote lots of good and some great plays. This is a great one. I came upon this review (and the one under it which is just inaccurate, the reviewer apparently has a hard time grasping what he reads, if he read it) because I just saw the movie of this play and want to reread it again. I've read it many times, and I love it. I think (though I'm not sure) that Bette Davis played Maxine in the original production, and unlike Ava Gardner's (who was perfect in the part), her "Ha!" was (as is described in the stage directions) an explosion, and occurred frequently. One scene I will give away. Shannon tells Hannah about a place where the animals go to deficate. The place is so poor and the people are so hungry, that the people go through the dung looking for and eating bits of undigested food. Hannah goes behind a tree and throws up. That was left out of the movie. This is a very kind and gentle play. And emotionally (all the Williams' plays I've read are, he used to be a hero of mine, I've outgrown him, except for this gem) and intellectually (not so customary) deep. (That word "deep" will I hope turn you on, not off.) Oh. My email address isn't listed.

The best thing about this book is the setting, a resort in Mexico. Shannon is a somewhat compelling character as I like contradictions. He is a priest but he can't help seducing underage girls all over the place. Otherwise, just ok.

In this book we once again have the obligatory emotionally tortured characters which are repeated in Tennessee William's works ad infinitum and ad nauseum. In this book the reader is introduced to Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon who seeks refuge in a run down Mexican Hotel.From there on we have the usual hysteria which was a signature of Mr. William's works. It seems that all of his plays and books were about desperate, needy , pathetic people who couldn't "make it through the dark night.My favourite line in this book is "Oh God can we please stop now?" which is exactly what I suggest Mr. Williams should have done with his typewriter.My new Email address is now available although you might have to hunt for a couple of hours on the Internet to find it!!!