Overview
Synopsis
Set in 1930s New Orleans, Suddenly Last Summer is a gothic melodrama with a shocking tale at its heart. In the grounds of a dark, troubled mansion, Mrs. Violet Venable prepares to host an explosive gathering. She idolized her son, Sebastian, who died in gruesome circumstances the summer preceding the time of the play. Mrs. Venable is determined to protect his untarnished reputation at all costs. Sebastian’s traveling companion and cousin, Catharine Holly, returned from their fatal trip with wild, savage stories of Sebastian’s predilections for young boys which led to his gory death, and Mrs. Venable is determined to put an end to her tales. She brings Doctor Cukrowicz to the house to persuade him into performing a lobotomy on Catharine and silence her forever. However, as the Doctor listens to Catharine’s story, it becomes clear that Sebastian was by no means the angel his mother claims.
Show Information
- Book
- Tennessee Williams
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 1958
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Period, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- A Gothic Mansion in New Orleans, 1936
- Cast Size
- small
- Licensor
- Dramatists Play Service
- Ideal For
- College/University, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Elderly, Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult Characters, Small Cast
Context
Tennessee Williams wrote Suddenly Last Summer in 1957. It premiered Off-Broadway in January 1958 and was performed alongside another of Williams’ one-act plays, Something Unspoken, which he had written seven years earlier. Together, the plays were presented under the collective title Garden District. Mary Anne Meacham starred in this production as Catharine and won the Obie Award for her performance.
Suddenly Last Summer was adapted into a film in 1959, starring Elizabeth Taylor as
to read the context for Suddenly Last Summer and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Scene One
In the wild garden of a Gothic New Orleans mansion, an aging southern widow, Mrs. Violet Venable, meets with Dr. Cukrowicz (who insists that she calls him Doctor Sugar for ease). Mrs. Venable is greatly distressed by the recent death of her son, Sebastian, while he traveled abroad with his cousin, Catharine Holly. It transpires that Mrs. Venable blames Catharine for Sebastian’s demise and she is horrified by the salacious stories she is telling about her son, which Mrs. Venable
to read the plot for Suddenly Last Summer and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
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Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
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|
Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
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|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
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|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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|
Featured |
Female |
Non-singer |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
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Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Alexandra Appleton
Writer, editor and theatre researcher