Sweet Bird Of Youth
Marianne Elliott directs Kim Cattrall as a fading Hollywood legend ravaged by the bitterness of failure and despair
Sweet Bird Of Youth
Marianne Elliott directs Kim Cattrall as a fading Hollywood legend ravaged by the bitterness of failure and despair
Sweet Bird Of Youth
Marianne Elliott directs Kim Cattrall as a fading Hollywood legend ravaged by the bitterness of failure and despair
Why see Sweet Bird Of Youth?
Fleeing the disastrous premiere of her comeback film, Alexandra Del Lago [Cattrall] travels incognito as The Princess Kosmonopolis seeking refuge in drink, drugs and the arms of Chance Wayne, an idealistic young dreamer turned gigiolo and hellbent on achieving his own movie stardom.
A trip to Chance’s hometown in a bid to win back his childhood sweetheart sees their relationship of convenience unravel in Williams’s vivid and haunting portrait of the destruction of dreams.
Key Information
Audience
The Sweet Bird of Youth is suitable for audiences aged 14 and upwards
Run Time
Two hours and 20 minutes with one interval
Dates
Finished 31 Aug 2013
Cast
Kim Cattrall as Alexandra Del Lago
Seth Numrich as Chance Wayne
Owen Roe as Boss Finlay
Bird Brennan as Aunt Nonnie
Seth Numrich as Chance Wayne
Owen Roe as Boss Finlay
Bird Brennan as Aunt Nonnie
Charles Aitken as Tom Junior
Michael Begley as The Heckler
Daniel Betts as George Scudder
Ruari Cannon as Stuff
Emily De Cosimo as Woman in Bar
Louise Dylan as Heavenly Finley
Kurt Kansley as Jackie the Pianist
Sean McConaghy as Scotty
Katie Meekison as Edna
Bryonie Pritchard as Maid
Lucy Robinson as Miss Lucy
Owen Roe as Boss Finley
Violet Ryder as Violet
Ryan Saunders as Man in Bar
Alistair Scott as Man in Bar
Anthony Taylor as Fly
Joe Townley as Hatcher
John Trindle as Bud
David Webber as Charles
Creative
Written by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Marianne Elliott
Design by Rae Smith
Lighting by Bruno Poet
Music & Sound by Dan Jones
Dramaturg by James Graham
Reviews
Customer reviews
2 reviews, average rating: (2.5 Stars)
David Gee
Great acting in an arthritic melodrama
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!). ... Read more
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