A kitchen sink “Tattoo”
Mar 25th, 2008 by houghtonmodern
In 1950, in Key West, playwright Tennessee Williams finished a second draft of “The Rose Tattoo,” a play he had begun the year before in Rome. Williams called this draft the “kitchen sink” draft, reasoning that “I have thrown into it every dramatic element I could think of. Perhaps all of them will work. Perhaps none of them will work. Probably a few of them will work.”
A few of Williams’ annotations in pencil can be seen on this draft:
Williams showed this draft to director Elia Kazan, who felt it still needed work. Williams went through several more drafts before the play opened on Broadway on February 3, 1951. The play subsequently won Williams a Tony award for Best Play in 1951.
Williams stated in his note to the draft that he wanted “the male part to be offered to Marlon Brando.” Eli Wallach was cast instead, opposite Maureen Stapleton, who both went on to win Tony awards for their performances in the play.
MS Am 2660. Purchased with the Douglass Roby Fund for the Harvard College Library and with funds from the Amy Lowell Trust. Images may not be reproduced without permission.
Where do you find this stuff?
It would have been better if he had stuck with the rose tattoo for the name, it’s more emotional so i don’t see the point in the name change. Art is art as it seems.
“Daddy, you spoiled my game”
Haha that’s my favorite part. Interesting find. I wonder how much was paid to have this in the library?
So useful books for us. Thank you for sharing.