The Fire Weeds is a feminist company.  Two early one-act plays by Tennessee Williams are being showcased by his followers.    These are The Pretty Trap and Interior: Panic.  These works are embryos of Williams later, famous works – The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire.  A single cast presents both works with an intimate staging.  Thus, the females in the center of the action.  Although marginalized by society, they are complex characters who are survivors.

The Pretty Trap clearly foreshadows The Glass Menagerie.  The production employs comedic elements to effectively demonstrate the various ways women navigate life, encompassing aspects such as joy, denial, and hope.  One can clearly see the skeleton of William’s later play.  The iconic plantation appears in a speech given by Amanda Wingfield, the mother played by Megan Metrikin.  As she looks back on a world that never existed Metrikin walks the line between sanity and madness.  She consistently maintains her composure and rationality.   She has experienced the impact of societal expectations.    Chris Ghaffari plays Tom Wingfield.  He captures the dreamy, impractical character of Tom. Jacclyn Bethany portrays Laura Wingfield.  Bethany clearly shows a woman flitting between hope and fear of the outside world.  Although she feels constrained by her mother, she is not entirely harmed.   She assertively resists the expectations imposed by her mother and society.  Jim Delaney is the gentleman caller. Delaney symbolizes the future, in contrast to the Wingfields who are stuck in the past.   Jacob Storms gracefully illuminates this character.

Interior: Panic is clearly the child that became A Streetcar Named Desire. The two sisters, Blanche Shannon and Grace Kiefaber, are close. However, Blanche’s inner thoughts and fears throw strains on this relationship.  Jacclyn Bethany show us a woman tormented by the patriarchal demands of society. Bethany clearly delineates this character. Lauren Guglielmello is Grace Kiefaber, the pregnant sister.  Guglielmello shows us a loving woman who is beset by her sister’s thoughts and actions.  The ionic plantation scene illustrates the difference between the sisters.  Grace is making jam.  The sweet smell reminds Blanche of the deceased body found on the grounds of the family plantation.    Thus, emphasizing the decline of the antebellum South that shaped their upbringing.    Blanche has not found anything to replace these values. Sarah Schuler is the bill collector.  Her dialogue with Grace feeds into Blanche’s paranoia.  Schuler cleverly plays this role as she ignores Blanche’s reactions to her innocuous statements. Chris Ghaffari is Jack Keifaber, the loving husband.  Ghaffari makes the husband’s affection and concern clear.

As director, Jaclyn Bethany has made these works come alive.  She has illustrated how Williiam’s growth and development of characters.  She puts the female characters in front as complex characters with emotional depth.  Watching these two plays offers insight into Tennessee Williams’ growth.  Anyone interested in seeing a brilliant production of a beginning playwright’s works should visit OUTRAGED HEARTS – The Pretty Trap and Interior: Panic.