By: Darryl Reilly
“Perennial Southern belle” Amanda Wingfield, her troubled children and their ebullient Gentleman Caller, all appear in The Pretty Trap. Blanche and the Kowalskis (with different names) people Interior: Panic. Tennessee Williams wrote those one-act plays in the 1940’s; they are sketches for The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. These had not been publicly performed until recently and are being presented together as Outraged Hearts. This engaging show is produced by the New Orleans-based theater company, The Fire Weeds, which “is dedicated to reinterpreting classics through a female-driven perspective.” That concern is evident, as is the lovely acting during this vigorous and dreamy production. It takes place on an intimate, three-sided playing area at the Houghton Hall Arts Community’s Fred and Adele Astaire Ballroom.
The sleek and vivacious Megan Metrikin is a sensationally flirtatious, domineering and commanding Amanda; she deliciously delivers the play’s stinging curtain line about wily young women, “They are the pretty trap!” Smoothly veering from mellow to explosive, the steely and appealing Chris Ghaffari is an ideal Tom.
With his melodious voice and amiable stage presence, Jacob Storms totally embodies the guileful Gentleman Caller. Conveying fragility and pathos, the luminous Jaclyn Bethany is a tenderly resonant Laura. The Pretty Trap is essentially a 45-minute variation of The Glass Menagerie’s last act; a delightful highlight is when the lights go out as Tom hasn’t paid the electric bill. The play begins in dimness behind gauzy, closed curtains. Eventually they are opened, revealing a wondrously detailed, shabby apartment with a prominent victrola. On this entrancing landscape the cast exhibit a passionate camaraderie.
Whether shirtless or in his bowling shirt, the charismatic Mr. Ghaffari is supremely volatile, sensual and playful, as the Stanley Kowalski figure (here Jack Kiefaber) in Interior: Panic. While darting around, grandly emerging from the bathroom and in combat, Ms. Bethany is a smashing Blanche (here Shannon instead of Dubois), reveling in all her imperious, deluded and prescient glory. The alluring Lauren Guglielmello is a fierce and lusty Stella (here Grace). Beaming Sarah Schuler makes the antic most of her cameo role as an offbeat bill collector. Interior: Panic is a 30-minute, experimental section of A Streetcar Named Desire characterized by surrealistic flourishes. Grainy dimness, eerie verbal declarations and fiery crimson bursts, are employed to depict the queasy, psychosexual conflict between Blanche and Stanley.
Ms. Bethany also picturesquely directs Outraged Hearts, her physical staging contains glorious tableaus and swirling movement sequences. With her pointed direction and the creative technical elements, the show emotionally and visually achieves an intense film noir dimension, one almost expects a murder to occur.
From only scattered table and wall lamps, virtuoso lighting designer Zoe Griffith conjures up a bracing, out of the past sheen of shadows, darkness and ominousness. Amara Skinner soaring sound design renders yesteryear music and effects with force. Scenic and props designer Teresa L. Williams’ two striking, grim lower-class apartments are strategically set with vintage pieces and project oppressive claustrophobia. Stacy Scarborough’s arresting costume design is of fabulous period detail.
Outraged Hearts is a welcome opportunity to experience Tennessee Williams’ immortal characters and monumental poetic dialogue once again in this novel, artful and affective incarnation.
Outraged Hearts (through May 30, 2025)
The Fire Weeds
Houghton Hall Arts Community, 22 East 30th Street, in Manhattan
For tickets, visit www.thefireweeds.org
Running time: 90 minutes including one intermission