This is a typical Williams melodrama, mildly steamy, with typical Williams characters: a histrionic female passing her use-by date and a young man whose promise is burning out. Boss Finley is a blatant recycling of HOT TIN ROOF's Big Daddy; Chance Wayne is a non-gay variant on the same play's Brick; Alexandra Del Lago has more than a touch of STREETCAR's Blanche Dubois (not to mention Norma Desmond!). The cannibalisation theme from SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER becomes castration and venereal infection here - shocking stuff in 1959 if less so today. But these slightly arthritic plays do offer great vehicles for stars old and new. Kim Cattrell spins a pleasing variation on Samantha Jones and is magnificent in the final scene. Seth Numrich gives a believable, sympathetic performance as the aptly named Chance, who can see love and stardom both slipping just out of his reach. Numrich is a young man to watch (especially with his shirt off!).

The play is very hard going for the first half an hour but does improve with the introduction of more characters. Although I am a regular theatre glee I have never been to the Old Vic but was well impressed. A shame half of the pit bar was not accessible due to a private party with few guests and took up a great deal of room! To summarise. Would I recommend the re commend to anyone else? Probably not I would've asked the people sat either side of me ( one being my husband) for their opinion had they both not fallen asleep. Enough said.