View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by OTHES DIPLOMARBEIT Titel der Diplomarbeit „The Heat of Tennessee Williams’ South on the Viennese Stages“ Verfasserin Cornelia Kubinger angestrebter akademischer Grad Magistra der Philosophie (Mag. phil.) Wien, Juni 2009 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 343 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Diplomstudium Anglistik und Amerikanistik Betreuer: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Margarete Rubik ii iii Declaration of Authenticity I confirm to have conceived and written this paper in English all by myself. Quotations from sources are all clearly marked and acknowledged in the bibliographical references either in the footnotes or within the text. Any ideas borrowed and/or passages paraphrased from the works of other authors are truthfully acknowledged and identified in the footnotes. Signature _______________________________ iv v Acknowledgments It has been a year since I started to effectively write this thesis, a year which was preceded by quite a lengthy period of research in the newspaper archives of Toronto and Vienna. Whoever has worked on a project like that will agree that it takes much more than books, a good hypothesis and a strong will to actually complete it. I shall therefore express my thanks to a number of people who have accompanied me on this seeming odyssey of ups and downs. They all have contributed a significant share to the accomplishment of this thesis. First and foremost, I am deeply grateful to my thesis advisor professor Margarete Rubik, who has provided me with indispensable research material and interesting insights. Throughout my entire work phase, she has proved an invaluable source of inspiration and motivation. In spite of her tight schedule, she has always taken time to engage in discussions about my findings and help me refine them. I extend sincere appreciation to the well-known director and actor Peter Josch, who allowed me to interview him and provided a primary source for this research. He willingly shared his vast knowledge and great theatrical experience with me and gave me a glimpse into the world of theater. I am indebted to Leopold Lippert for having given me an understanding of Joseph Roach’s main theories and for having provoked audacious questions and ideas that finally found their way into my thesis. I would like to thank him, together with Hano Pipic and Alexander Schreyer, for having read and commented various drafts of this thesis. Their comments have indeed proved to be extremely fruitful. Furthermore, I am immensely grateful to Verena Gappmaier and Alexander Schreyer for having bothered to help me cope with Microsoft Word and having assisted me in formatting this thesis. I also would like to thank my precious colleagues and friends Petra, Maria, Hano and Leo for having supported me emotionally and having immediately shared this experience with me. Finally, special thanks go to my parents, who have provided great support, have always believed in me and have given me the time I needed to fully realize this project. vi vii Table of Content 1. Introduction ................................................................1 2. American Reception ...................................................7 2.1. The American Premiere (1944)....................................................7 2.1.1. The Glass Menagerie – A “Critics’ Play”?............................................... 7 2.1.2. The Celebrated Cast .................................................................................. 7 a) Amanda Wingfield........................................................................................ 7 b) Tom Wingfield.............................................................................................. 8 c) Laura Wingfield............................................................................................ 9 d) Gentleman Caller .......................................................................................... 9 e) Designer........................................................................................................ 9 2.1.3. Arriving on Broadway............................................................................. 10 2.1.4. Criticism of Williams’ Literary Style..................................................... 11 2.1.5. The Importance of the Southern Locale................................................ 12 2.1.6. The Original vs. The Acting Edition ...................................................... 13 2.1.7. Recapitulation .......................................................................................... 14 2.2. The First Broadway Revival (1956)...........................................16 2.2.1. Alan Schneider - The Dreaminess Has Gone ........................................ 16 2.2.2. The Comic Cast........................................................................................ 17 a) Amanda Wingfield...................................................................................... 17 b) Tom Wingfield............................................................................................ 18 c) Laura Wingfield.......................................................................................... 19 d) Gentleman Caller ........................................................................................ 19 e) Designer...................................................................................................... 20 2.2.3. A Changed Perception of the Script ….................................................. 20 2.2.4. …but Still American................................................................................ 21 2.2.5. Recapitulation .......................................................................................... 22 2.3. The Glass Menagerie in the 60s ..................................................23 2.3.1. The Impacts of the Hippie Era on Theater Culture ............................. 23 a) The Drama - A Losing Venture on Broadway............................................ 23 viii b) The Glass Menagerie proves an Exception to the Rule ..............................24 2.3.2. George Keathley – Creation of a Refuge into the Past .........................25 2.3.3. The Cohesive Cast ....................................................................................26 a) Amanda Wingfield ......................................................................................26 b) Tom Wingfield ............................................................................................27 c) Laura Wingfield ..........................................................................................27 d) Gentleman Caller.........................................................................................28 e) Designer ......................................................................................................29 2.3.4. The American Setting Loses Importance...............................................30 2.3.5. Recapitulation...........................................................................................31 2.4. The Glass Menagerie in the 70s ..................................................33 2.4.1. A Tennessee Williams Boom ...................................................................33 2.4.2. The Competing Force of Television........................................................34 2.4.3. Theodore Mann – The Presentation of a Realistic Family...................34 2.4.4. The Down-To-Earth Cast ........................................................................35 a) Amanda Wingfield ......................................................................................35 b) Tom Wingfield ............................................................................................36 c) Laura Wingfield ..........................................................................................37 d) Gentleman Caller.........................................................................................38 e) Designer ......................................................................................................39 2.4.5. The Setting Becomes Increasingly Universal, but the Local Vernacular Remains a Marker of the American South .....................................................41 2.4.6. Recapitulation...........................................................................................42 2.5. The First Posthumous Revival (1983)........................................44 2.5.1. Ronald Reagan and the Restoration of American “Greatness” ..........44 2.5.2. A Classic to be Put into Question............................................................46 2.5.3. John Dexter – A Meticulously Literal Glass Menagerie .......................48 2.5.4. The Dominated Cast.................................................................................49 a) Amanda Wingfield ......................................................................................49 b) Tom Wingfield ............................................................................................51 c) Laura Wingfield ..........................................................................................52 d) Gentleman Caller.........................................................................................54 e) Designer ......................................................................................................55 ix 2.5.5. Recapitulation .........................................................................................