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Next Tennessee Williams play on the shelf is a beautiful little one-act called Portrait of a Madonna<\/i>, included in 27 Wagons Full of Cotton And Other One-Act Plays<\/a>![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=thesheivari-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0811202259\")
<\/i>. There are elements in this play that show up very prominently in his major full-length plays: the ending is straight out of Streetcar<\/i>, with the kindly doctor leading away the fearful insane woman. The main character – Lucretia Collins – is how Miss Alma from Summer and Smoke<\/i> very likely will end up. It’s tragic. What life gives to some people.<\/p>\nMiss Lucretia Collins (like Miss Alma) was a minister’s daughter once upon a time, a good girl, a respectable girl. And she fell in love with a boy in her town … but, like Miss Alma, nothing ever worked out with him. He married someone else. And Lucretia Collins never recovered from that blow.<\/p>\n
She is now, at the play’s open, living in a small dingy apartment. And every night, she believes that Richard (the man she once loved) breaks into her room every night to “indulge his senses”. heh heh That’s a direct quote from Summer and Smoke<\/i>. The play opens, and you can hear her voice pleading with someone from behind a closed door. This person is not real. It is her fantasy come to life. Lucretia Collins has become unhinged from reality.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, everyone in the apartment building sort of knows that she’s crazy … and time has run out for Miss Collins. Miss Collins has called down to the building manager to report that she has had an intruder. The porter and the elevator boy come up to “investigate” but really: a doctor has been called to come take her away to an institution.<\/p>\n
This play shows the moments leading up to the doctor’s arrival. The elevator boy (a cocky young guy who thinks Miss Collins is a creature of fun, to be laughed at) and the porter (an infinitely compassionate man, who sees the deep pain behind Miss Collins’ fantasy) stand in her main room, waiting for the doctor to come. Miss Collins now believes that she is pregnant with her fantasy-lover’s baby … etc.<\/p>\n
She’s a tragic character. But, in true Tennessee Williams, fashion, she is noble. In his view: someone who is able to love like that, with a love so burning that it consumees their entire psyche, is noble – no matter what the end. If we all were able to love one another like that, maybe the world would be a kinder place.<\/p>\n
Lucretia Collins is a great character. I’d love to play her.<\/p>\n
I’ll excerpt from the scene between the elevator boy, the porter, and Miss Collins.<\/p>\n
MISS COLLINS. [stuffing the rag daintily in her bosom<\/i>] Excuse me, please. Is the weather nice outside?<\/p>\n PORTER. [huskily<\/i>] Yes, it’s nice, Mr. Collins.<\/p>\n MISS COLLINS. [dreamily<\/i>] So wa’m for this time of year. I wore my little astrakhan cape to service but had to car<\/i>ry it home<\/i>, as the weight of it actually seemed oppres<\/i>sive to me. [Her eyes fall shut<\/i>] The sidewalks seem so dreadfully long in summer …<\/p>\n ELEVATOR BOY. This ain’t summer, Miss Collins.<\/p>\n MISS COLLINS. [dreamily<\/i>] I used to think I’d never get to the end of that last block. And that’s the block where all the trees went down in the big tornado. The walk is simply glit<\/i>-tering with sunlight. [pressing her eyelids<\/i>] Impossible to shade your face and I do<\/i> perspire so freely! [She touches her forehead daintily with the rag<\/i>] Not a branch, not a leaf to give you a little protection! You simply have<\/i> to en-dure<\/i> it. Turn your hideous red face away from all the front-porches and walk as fast as you decently can<\/i> till you get by<\/i> them! Oh, dear, dear, Savior, sometimes you’re not so lucky and you meet<\/i> people and have to smile<\/i>! You can’t avoid<\/i> them unless you cut across<\/i> and that’s so ob<\/i>-vious, you know … People would say you’re pecul<\/i>iar … His house is right in the middle of that awful leafless block, their<\/i> house, his and hers<\/i>, and they have an automobile and always get home early and sit on the porch and watch<\/i> me walking by — Oh, Father in Heaven — with a mali<\/i>cious delight<\/i>! [She averts her face in remembered torture<\/i>] She has such penetrating<\/i> eyes, they look straight through me. She sees that terrible choking thing in my throat and the pain I have in here<\/i> — [touching her chest<\/i>] — and she points it out and laughs and whispers to him, “There she goes with her shiny big red nose, the poor old maid — that loves<\/i> you!” [She chokes and hides her face in the rag<\/i>]<\/p>\n PORTER. Maybe you better forget all that, Miss Collins.<\/p>\n MISS COLLINS. Never, never forget it! Never, never! I left my parasol once — the one with long white fringe that belonged to Mother — I left it behind in the cloak-room at the church so I didn’t have anything to cover my face with when I walked by, and I couldn’t turn back either, with all those people behind me — giggling back of me, poking fun at my clothes! Oh, dear, dear! I had to walk straight forward — past the last elm tree and into that merciless<\/i> sunlight. Oh! It beat down on me, scorching<\/i> me! Whips<\/i>! … Oh, Jesus! … Over my face and my body! … I tried to walk on fast but was dizzy and they kept closer behind me —! I stumbled, I nearly fell, and all of them burst out laughing! My face turned so horribly<\/i> red, it got so red and wet, I knew how ugly it was in all that merciless glare — not a single shadow to hide in! And then — [Her face contorts with fear<\/i>] — their automobile drove up in front of their house, right where I had to pass by it, and she<\/i> stepped out, in white, so fresh and easy, her stomach round with a baby, the first of the six<\/i>. Oh God! … And he stood smiling behind her, white and easy and cool, and they stood there waiting for me. Waiting!<\/i>! I had to keep on. What else could I do? I couldn’t turn back<\/i>, could I? No!<\/i> I said dear God<\/i>, strike me dead<\/i>! He didn’t though. I put my head way down like I couldn’t see them! You know what she did? She stretched out her hand to stop<\/i> me! And he<\/i> — he stepped up straight in front of me, smiling<\/i>, blocking the walk with his terrible big white body! “Lucretia<\/i>,” he said, “Lucretia Collins<\/i>!” I — I tried to speak but I couldn’t, the breath went out of my body! I covered my face and — ran! … Ran! … Ran<\/i>! [beating the arm of the sofa<\/i>] Till I reached the end of the block — and the elm trees — started<\/i> again … Oh, Merciful Christ in Heaven, how kind<\/i> they were! [She leans back exhaustedly, her hand relaxed on sofa. She pauses and the music ends<\/i>] I said to Mother, “Mother, we’ve got to leave town!” We did<\/i> leave after that. And now after all these years he’s finally remembered and come back<\/i>! Moved away from that house and the woman and come here<\/i> — I saw him in the back of the church one day. I wasn’t sure — but it was<\/i>. The night after that was the night that he first broke in — and indulged his senses with me … He doesn’t realize that I’ve changed, that I can’t feel again the way that I used to feel, now that he’s got six children by that Cincinnati girl — three in high school already! Six! Think of that! Six children! I don’t know what he’ll say when he knows another one’s coming! He’ll probably blame me<\/i> for it because a man always does<\/i>! In spite of the fact that he forced<\/i> me!<\/p>\n ELEVATOR BOY. [grinning<\/i>] Did you say — a baby<\/i>, Miss Collins?<\/p>\n MISS COLLINS. [lowering her eyes but speaking with tenderness and pride<\/i>] Yes — I’m expecing a child<\/i>.<\/p>\n ELEVATOR BOY. Jeez<\/i>! [He claps his hand over his mouth and turns away quickly<\/i>]<\/p>\n MISS COLLINS. Even if it’s not legitimate, I think it has a perfect right to its father’s name — don’t you?<\/p>\n PORTER. Yes. Sure, Miss Collins.<\/p>\n MISS COLLINS. A child is innocent and pure. No matter how it’s conceived. And it must not<\/i> be made to suffer! So I intend to dispose of the little property Cousin Ethel left me and give the child a private education where it won’t come under the evil influence of the Christian church! I want to make sure that it doesn’t grow up in the shadow of the cross and then have to walk along blocks that scorch you with terrible sunlight!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Next on the script shelf: Next Tennessee Williams play on the shelf is a beautiful little one-act called Portrait of a Madonna, included in 27 Wagons Full of Cotton And Other One-Act Plays. There are elements in this play that … Continue reading
\nFrom Portrait of a Madonna<\/i>, by Tennessee Williams<\/strong><\/p>\n