Passion runs rampant in ’27 Wagons’

Passion runs rampant in ’27 Wagons’

Production mixes classic blues with Williams’ dark look at
Southern life

By Jennifer Richmond

Daily Bruin Staff

Tennessee Williams has a definite affinity for the South. All of
his productions, like "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "The Glass
Menagerie," take place in the South plus having something dark and
foreboding about them. So, why not add the sounds of classic
Southern blues to set the perfect tone? "27 Wagons Full of Cotton"
does just that.

Taking place in the Mississippi Delta, "Wagons" follows the
naïve Flora Meighan (Sheila Grenham) as she discovers her
husband isn’t the saint he appears to be and that being neighborly
has a price.

Opening with a panic stricken Flora looking for husband, Jake,
it soon comes out that he’s taken the Chevy and left without
telling her. No sooner is this discovery made than the big cotton
gin in town bursts into flame with the blues guitar accenting the
situation.

At first there’s no apparent reason for the fire, but when Jake
Meighan (John Doman) tells Flora with a firm hand that if anybody
asks he’s been sitting on the porch swing with her since dinner, it
becomes glaringly apparent that he’s the cause.

Flora’s childlike attitude makes it clear she won’t be able to
keep her mouth shut for very long and eventually spills the
incident to Silva Vacarro (John Ciccolini), one of the gin’s
owners. But he gets his pay back by taking full sexual advantage of
Flora.

This upsetting situation is classic Williams. He takes a perfect
setting and turns it into a tumultuous situation that causes goose
bumps and suspense. When Flora slips, her realization is magnified
by the Mississippi blues that accompanies the entire production.
The deep twang of the guitar emphasizes her mistake as her eyes
widen with the realization of what she’s just said.

This blues music opens the production with a gospel-type choir
that sets the mood and continues straight on through the entire
production. While not played in every scene, the music is present
as an upsetting undertone when the situations become intense. The
music almost becomes a fourth character always showing up when
least expected but definitely needed.

The music is so important, it takes over the second act. In
fact, Val Ewell & The Cottonpickers give a concert of classic
blues for the rest of the production. And while Williams’ play is a
wonderful and entertaining story, it’s really the concept that gets
the audience tuned in.

With songs like "Bad Love" and "Hound Dog" the singers get
cooking and the audience goes wild. This is what they were waiting
for. One audience member got so into the music, she and her date
begin dancing on stage.

The entire second act complements the first. The sensuous tunes
and deep passionate blues match the passion Silva arouses in Flora
as he blows in her ear and rubs his riding whip along her inner
thigh making her "weak" and forcing her to succumb to his evil
desires.

Just as Silva evokes an untouched passion in Flora so does the
music in a couple of audience members. The same girl who began
dancing in time to the band ends up passionately kissing another
audience member who got up to join her.

With this kind of heated emotion there’s no question "27 Wagons"
and the blues concert is one event where the money (and the
emotion) isn’t wasted.

STAGE: "27 Wagons Full of Cotton." Written by Tennessee
Williams. Directed by Steve Tietsort. Starring Walter Olkewicz,
Sheila Grenham and John Ciccolini. Plus a Blues Review by Val Ewell
and the Cottonpickers. Running through April 23 at the Skylight
Theater. Performing Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at
7 p.m. TIX: $15 to $17.50. For more info call (213) 660-8587.