The Young and the Beautiful
Sally Benson
Sweet Bird of Youth
by Tennessee Williams
Broadway West End
Highlights
120 mins 1950s Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Period Costumes
Awards & Recognition
Tony Award
Winner! 1976 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play Nominee: Three 1960 Tony Awards
Synopsis
Chance Wayne, a young and beautiful hustler, returns to the town of his birth and becomes entangled in the lives of an aging movie actress, now living undercover as Princess Kosmonopolis, as well as the girl he had to leave behind.
Word of his arrival spreads like contagion through the small town, and soon Boss Finley, a political despot and father of the young girl, becomes increasingly interested.
What Chance does not know is that unwittingly he has infected the girl and ever since the Boss, his sadistic son and his toadies have lain in wait for his return and for their revenge.
Chance’s scheme is to use the Princess to promote a motion picture career for himself and his girl.
Naturally, in another classic melodrama by Tennessee Williams, this plan goes to seed and fate begins to close in on the passively waiting Chance, who ends up deserted by his girl and his youth.
Press Reviews
"Once again a bolt of thunder has been hurled by that Jovian playwright, Tennessee Williams, and the theatre reverberates to its roar."
— NY Newsday
"Tennessee Williams recently said something about getting tired of delivering blockbusters to Broadway, but he has certainly provided one in Sweet Bird of Youth…written with enormous dramatic drive…it is a play of overwhelming force."
— New York Post
"Despite the acrid nature of its material, Sweet Bird of Youth is Mr. Williams in a relaxed mood as a writer…Sweet Bird of Youth is one of his finest dramas."
— The New York Times
Characters
| Character |
|---|
| The Pricness Kosmonopolis |
| Fly |
| Maid |
| George Scudder |
| Hatcher |
| Boss Finley |
| Tom Junior |
| Aunt Nonnie |
| Heavenly Finley |
| Charles |
| Stuff |
| Miss Lucy |
| The Heckler |
| Violet |
| Edna |
| Scotty |
| Bud |
| Men In Bar (3) |
| Page |
| Chance Wayne |
Videos
Sweet Bird of Youth – 2017 Chichester Theatre Festival Production Trailer
Publication
Sweet Bird of Youth is a play written by Tennessee Williams and published by Dramatists Play Service .
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Performance Rights
Available for Licensing
Amateur & Professional
Fee: Minimum Fee: $130 per performance
Restrictions: Major Markets Plus (US) / Standard Plus Add'l Postcodes (UK)
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