I don't have a quote for this one. I probably don't have much to say on plot or character either, except that I can 100% imagine turning up on my sister's doorstep with a suitcase of tiaras and costumes and naught else, pretending all is fine while having no solid plans in life. Is that just because I'm graduating soon, or because I picked a career with no security?
The overwhelming feeling I got, besides something bad is going to happen, was a pressure to read the play properly. As if there was a single way to interpret the words on the page, insights which should spring to mind on each notable moment, that I should know which moments were notable upon first reading. Even as I thought it, I knew it was ridiculous. What made it different from the play I read the week before? Only that other people have strong opinions on it, and I didn't yet.
Before reading a play, I do like to know how many characters there are and a little about them so I can get a picture in my head and get to know them through the text. It's like layering up paint in a watercolour. This was like excavating a statue - no matter the craft of Tennessee Williams, I couldn't enjoy the text through feeling it out, only through knowing it was good.
Is this a comment on how having a cannon of work can detract from the individual beauty of each piece? I honestly don't know; it's possibly more a symptom of perfectionism and anxiety. Maybe I'll get over it.
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