Stairs to the Roof
Encyclopedia
Stairs to the Roof is a play by Tennessee Williams
, the last of his apprentice
plays. It was completed in December 1941, and premiered (as a full-scale production) at the Pasadena Playhouse
on February 26, 1947.
The play is based on earlier stories written by Williams, including "The Swan" and most specifically, one of the same title written in October 1936, after he had recovered from a nervous breakdown
arising from his experiences working in the relentlessly mechanical world of the large International Shoes factory in St. Louis, Missouri
. Unlike that story, the play is optimistic, with elements of romance and fantasy, and a deus ex machina
ending.
The subtitle of the play (and of the earlier story) is "A Prayer for the Wild of Heart That are Kept in Cages"; though that phrase conveys the seriousness of the playwright's chosen topic, its treatment, particularly the elements not present in the original story (such as the Mummers play
-within-a-play and the swan-on-a-lake scenes), lighten the tone with elements of fantasy.
Williams scholar Allean Hale, in his introduction to a 2000 New Directions Publishers
edition of the play (ISBN 0-8112-1435-4), commented on similarities the play shares with the 1923 expressionist
play The Adding Machine
by Elmer Rice
. Both plays show the robotic typing of office workers, both have a scene of divine intervention
and another set by a lake, and both make use of generically named characters (Rice's male lead is "Mr. Zero"; Williams' female lead is "Girl"; Rice has Messrs. One, Two, Three, etc.; Williams' has Messrs. P, D, Q, T).
in mind as the protagonist
. He acknowledges the play's "didactic material" as being perhaps inappropriate as the country was preparing to go to war
, but he felt his protagonist's problems were "universal and everlasting,", an assessment that made the play appropriate even during such a trying time.
Six years later, in remarks published in the Pasadena Playhouse program notes, Williams commented on the play:
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
, the last of his apprentice
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
plays. It was completed in December 1941, and premiered (as a full-scale production) at the Pasadena Playhouse
Pasadena Playhouse
The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engagements each year.-History:...
on February 26, 1947.
The play is based on earlier stories written by Williams, including "The Swan" and most specifically, one of the same title written in October 1936, after he had recovered from a nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
arising from his experiences working in the relentlessly mechanical world of the large International Shoes factory in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. Unlike that story, the play is optimistic, with elements of romance and fantasy, and a deus ex machina
Deus ex machina
A deus ex machina is a plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.-Linguistic considerations:...
ending.
The subtitle of the play (and of the earlier story) is "A Prayer for the Wild of Heart That are Kept in Cages"; though that phrase conveys the seriousness of the playwright's chosen topic, its treatment, particularly the elements not present in the original story (such as the Mummers play
Mummers Play
Mummers Plays are seasonal folk plays performed by troupes of actors known as mummers or guisers , originally from England , but later in other parts of the world...
-within-a-play and the swan-on-a-lake scenes), lighten the tone with elements of fantasy.
Williams scholar Allean Hale, in his introduction to a 2000 New Directions Publishers
New Directions Publishers
New Directions Publishing Corp. is an independent book publishing company that was founded in 1936 by James Laughlin. The company was incorporated in 1964 as the New Directions Publishing Corporation and operates from New York City, and its books today are distributed by WW Norton & Company. Its...
edition of the play (ISBN 0-8112-1435-4), commented on similarities the play shares with the 1923 expressionist
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
play The Adding Machine
The Adding Machine
The Adding Machine is a 1923 play by Elmer Rice; it has been called "... a landmark of American Expressionism, reflecting the growing interest in this highly subjective and nonrealistic form of modern drama." The story focuses on Mr. Zero, an accountant at a large, faceless company. After 25 years...
by Elmer Rice
Elmer Rice
Elmer Rice was an American playwright. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his 1929 play, Street Scene.-Early years:...
. Both plays show the robotic typing of office workers, both have a scene of divine intervention
Divine Intervention
Divine intervention is a term for a miracle caused by God's/a god's active involvement in the human world.Divine Intervention may also refer to:*"Divine Intervention", a 1991 song on Matthew Sweet's album Girlfriend....
and another set by a lake, and both make use of generically named characters (Rice's male lead is "Mr. Zero"; Williams' female lead is "Girl"; Rice has Messrs. One, Two, Three, etc.; Williams' has Messrs. P, D, Q, T).
Playwright's comments
In "Random Observations" written as a preface in 1941, Williams noted that the play was "written for both the stage and the screen" with Burgess MeredithBurgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
in mind as the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
. He acknowledges the play's "didactic material" as being perhaps inappropriate as the country was preparing to go to war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but he felt his protagonist's problems were "universal and everlasting,", an assessment that made the play appropriate even during such a trying time.
Six years later, in remarks published in the Pasadena Playhouse program notes, Williams commented on the play:
- When I look back at Stairs to the Roof...I see its faults very plainly, as plainly as you may see them, but still I do not feel apologetic about this play. Unskilled and awkward as I was at this initial period of my playwriting, I certainly had a moral ernestness which I cannot boast of today, and I think that moral ernestness is a good thing for any times, but particularly for these times. I wish I still had the idealistic passion of [protagonist] Benjamin Murphy! You may smile as I do at the sometimes sophomoric aspect of his excitement, but I hope you will respect, as I do, the purity of his feeling and the honest concern which he had in his heart for the basic problem of mankind, which is to dignify our lives with a certain freedom.
External links
- The Swan, one of the short stories that feed into the play, from The Missouri ReviewThe Missouri ReviewThe Missouri Review is a literary magazine. Founded in 1978 by the University of Missouri, it publishes fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction quarterly. With its open submission policy, The Missouri Review receives 12,000 manuscripts each year and is known for printing previously unpublished...
- 21st century premiere of the play on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignThe University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
- Guardian review of an October 2001 revival performed at the Minerva TheatreMinerva Theatre, ChichesterThe Minerva Theatre is a studio theatre seating at full capacity 283. It is run as part of the adjacent Chichester Festival Theatre, located in Chichester, England, and was opened in 1989...
, ChichesterChichesterChichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...