Bettie's Books

bookshelves: autumn-2014, biography, published-2014, radio-4, nonfiction, families, lifestyles-deathstyles, mental-health, author-in-the-mirror, fradio, glbt, recreational-drugs, teh-demon-booze

BOTW

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04htdl4

Description: John Lahr's new and evocative biography of one of America's greatest playwrights vividly illustrates how Tennessee Williams drew on his personal experiences to create some of the most memorable characters of the American stage and screen such as Blanche, Stanley, Big Daddy, Brick, Amanda and Laura. Drawing on Tennessee Williams's poems, journals and private correspondence with friends and colleagues, Lahr creates a compelling portrait of William's turbulent personal life and his extraordinarily successful career.

John Lahr was the Senior Drama Critic at the New Yorker for twenty years. His other books include, Prick Up Your Ears: The Biography of Joe Orton.
Read by Damian Lewis with Trevor White as the voice of Tennessee Williams and with Elaine Claxton, Bettrys Jones and Ian Conningham.
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.

1/5 Broadway Success and Childhood: Echoes of Williams's troubled childhood find their way into his first Broadway success.

2/5 Awakenings: Tennessee Williams embarks on a new play, A Streetcar Named Desire.

3/5 Moon of Pause: Tennessee Williams sails to Europe, where he makes new friends

4/5 Testing Times: Testing times lie ahead for Tennessee Williams, as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof takes shape.

5/5 Crisis Point: Drink and pills lead to a crisis point. A troubled relationship is reflected in a new play

Excellent fayre. I need to rewatch all the films with a newly found perspective on TW: many thanks to John Lahr.