On stage: ‘Suddenly Last Summer’ at Heartland not to be missed – The Pantagraph

Small wonder then that even the suggestion of homosexuality in a play of that era was a legitimate act of bravery. Playwright Tennessee Williams dared write about the taboo subject in some of his most well-known works, including “Suddenly Last Summer,” currently playing at Heartland Theatre (9/8-9/17).

In this 1958 drama, Williams hides Sebastian Venable’s sexual orientation through symbolism and euphemistic wordplay, but the central character to this story, who is never seen, is clearly a man who’s quite familiar with the love that dare not speak its name. Front and center, however, is not Sebastian’s closeted homosexuality or even his absence from the scene, but rather that it falls upon his cousin, Catherine, to convey the tawdry details of why he’s not there. She’s the only witness.

Sebastian, you see, is the much beloved (perhaps too much beloved) son of Mrs. Venable (Joi Hoffsummer) and she simply cannot abide by the account that Catherine (Mindy Smith) has given of her son’s fate. Catherine has paid a steep price for telling what she believes is her truth. Not only will it potentially cost her mother (Mary Rose Cottingham) and brother George (Sam Swope) an inheritance, but far worse is that Catherine’s own well-being is put in peril.

Mrs. Venable has already had Catherine dispatched to a convent where she’s medicated and held under the watchful eye of Sister Felicity (Ann B. White). Things become far more sinister, however, when the matriarch consults with Dr. Cukrowicz (Matthew Green), “Dr. Sugar” as she refers to him, about having Catherine lobotomized. The reason — Catherine’s insistence on clinging to her preposterous lie of what happened to Mrs. V’s golden boy. Miss Foxhill (Rosie Hauck) is the maid, who knows far more than she can say. She’s relegated to making sure the 5 o’clock daquiris are never late.

Like many of his plays, Williams gives some of the best dialogue to women, and this play in no exception. Hoffsummer and Smith shine as they make the most of their cat and mouse interplay, but the game seems hopelessly stacked against Catherine. Cottingham and Swope delight as they almost tag-team one another trying to browbeat Catherine into changing her story. Green treads the line well between seemingly genuine concern for Catherine and fulfilling his naked ambition to experiment on her.

Director Tom Mitchell has used the Heartland space masterfully. All the action takes place on what appears to be a genteel, slightly overgrown New Orleans garden terrace (designed by Chad Lowell), yet all the characters seem trapped in a pen — and the oppression creeps into the audience. Rarely, in my memory, has sound design played such an integral part of a Heartland production. The design, by M. Anthony Reimer, is a claustrophobic mix of industrial sounds, jungle noises, random wails; it’s always in the background rising and lowering to match the pitch of the action. The lighting design by Jesse Folks adds to this jarring menagerie of sensory sensations.

Costume Designer Melissa Hall Reynolds has done well with achieving the mid-1930s feel of the play, including some eye-catching vintage dresses. Of special note is the habit worn by Sister Felicity. While I’m no expert on 1936 Louisiana nun wimples, I’m guessing some custom work went into the intricate one worn by Ann B. White.

“Suddenly Last Summer” is presented in one act and runs a tight 90 minutes. Mitchell has included some fade-outs for scene breaks, but they are not really needed, and they can distract a bit. And while I’ll preface this by saying “there’s not a bad seat in the house,” I’d recommend, if possible, sitting in house center. At times, Catherine’s back is to the house left and right sections during parts of her monologue.

Most of all, though, I’d simply recommend seeing “Suddenly Last Summer.” Tennessee Williams, done this well in our parts, does not happen every day. If it were me, I wouldn’t want to miss it.