Dr “Sugar” Cukrowicz is summoned to Mrs Venable’s house with the jungle garden and elevator. The doctor is a lobotomist and seeking funds for his psychiatric research. Mrs Venable, a rich and eccentric woman, promises to help him out financially if he will do something about her niece, who has been raving about her cousin Sebastian’s behavior abroad. Though strapped for cash, Dr Cukrowicz senses something fishy, and it isn’t just Mrs Venable’s own rambling about Galápagos turtles…

Two years ago, I watched the 1959 film adaptation of this play, and the ending never left me. I would think about it every so often and the mixed emotions I felt. I always thought I would pick up the play at some point and see if there was anything else to glean from the story.

Unfortunately, the play is even more stripped-down than the film. I’ve nothing against one-act plays, but it really feels like a rough draft begging to be retold. Some reviewers have also questioned the logic of the plot twist, which I can only echo as being doubtful.

Of more interest is the Wikipedia article on Tennessee Williams, which mentions his own sister had a debilitating lobotomy in 1943. Williams was also gay, which puts the main idea of the play (I won’t give it away) in an unexpected light. Again, there was so much potential here, and the film actually does it better, though still leaves one wishing it went deeper.

Will I be reading more Tennessee Williams? I think so, but if this is a “finished” work, I don’t like how it veers on macabre for the sake of shock value; I can just as well read a tabloid news article. He is a celebrated American playwright and a bit of a Southern Gothic, so I do feel I should read more of his work.