The Night of the Iguana

Le Femme Theatre Production of " The Night of the Iguana" is the best rendition of this play that I have seen. Tennessee Williams masterpiece if not done well can be a long drawn out evening at the theater. What makes this "Iguana" really good has to do with several reasons. the first being exquisite sound by Darron L.West, the incredible lighting by Jeff Croiter, the deft costumes by Jennifer Von Mayrhauser and the direction by Emily Mann.

Williams, if not the best American playwright, is right up there with the Hemingway's of the American literary world. He often brings out the utter desperation in his characters. In this play we have Lawrence Shannon (Tim Daly), a drunk who has been defrocked by his Church, Maxine Faulk (Daphine Rubin-Vega), who has recently become a widow and Hannah Jelkes (Jean Lichty), a wanderer who knows and accepts her downtrodden lifestyle. What makes Williams is so effective as a writer; in many of his plays he brings the characters to low depths as human beings, often these people are mentally deranged, and then he takes them to even lower depths to the point of where the audience is shocked by the squealer which is the life and the world that they live in.

Emily Mann for the most part has the characters interesting to the audience. " The Night of the Iguana" is three hours long and in this performance there were only two lulls in the show. For a short period in the first act we had to much dialogue that went in circles between Daly and Vega, the same can be said for the second act between Daly and Lichty. Even with a bland scenic design (Beowulf Boritt), Mann keep us in this complex piece like a master.

As much as the cast is wonderful, it is Tim Daly as the Reverend who wants to do good as he desperately fights off his inner demons; the spook as he calls it. He has a penchant for young girls and liquor.It has gotten him in trouble time and time again. Daphine Rubin- Vega (Rent) who yearns for the Reverend, Lea Delaria who is the leader for a vacationing Baptist Church woman from Texas who tortures the already mentally weak Lawrence Shannon into continuing his tour guide which has gone array.The great Austin Pendleton as Nonno, the oldest poet in America at 97 years old and Jean Lichty as his granddaughter who looks after him as they go country to country hustling her paintings and his poetry.I saw Jean Lichty a few years back in another of Williams play "A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur" at the Church at St. Clements in which she was excellent as well. It is these five core characters that along with Emily Mann make this a worthwhile show to see!

........................................................................................................................

Signature Theater has hosted some really good works since coming back from Covid. "The Night of the Iguana" was truly entertaining in every way. At three hours long it is a challenging play to produce with its sheer length and depth of Williams writing that makes putting on this play a gamble.

When I last saw this production back in 1996, it was directed by Robert Falls. It was Falls show moving production that made it much less enjoyable than tonight's production. Lethargic and lackluster, it gave me pause seeing this show again; thankfully I saw a great rendition here at The Diamond Theatre at Pershing Square.

Robert Falls, Emily Mann, Tim Daly, Tennessee Williams, Creve Coeur, Streetcar Named Desire, On The Waterfront, Earnest Hemingway, Broadway, Tony Awards, Off Broadway, New York City.