Sewanee Spoken Word Presents ‘The Strange, the Crazed, the Queer’
Thursday, April 13, 2017
by Kevin Cummings, Messenger Staff Writer
David Landon, a theatre legend in Sewanee, will perform “The Strange, the Crazed, the Queer” at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 18, at Sewanee Spoken Word in the Blue Chair Café & Tavern.
Landon, who recently retired after more than four decades as a Sewanee theatre professor, first developed and directed “The Strange, the Crazed, the Queer”—featuring the poetry of Tennessee Williams—with a group of professional actors in New York City.
“I have long been an advocate and admirer of Williams’ poetry, believing that Williams—like Shakespeare—was first of all a poet, and that the poetic power of his
language is essential to his greatness as a playwright,” Landon said. “Audiences will recognize in his poetry many of the qualities of his work as a playwright: the rich, extravagant flights of language and powerful rhythms in which his characters articulate their situation.”
Williams, whose grandfather attended The School of Theology, left the rights of his plays, poems, letters and other works to the University of the South.
A veteran of professional and university theatre, Landon, 78, is very familiar with Williams’ work. He appeared in the world premiere of Williams’ autobiographical play, “The Parade,” in Provincetown, Mass., as well as performing in several productions of “Hotel Plays,” an evening of Williams’ one-act plays, in Provincetown, Sewanee and New Orleans. His other Williams’ roles include “Big Daddy” in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the University of Virginia, and “Mitch” in “Streetcar Named Desire” at the University of South Carolina.
Landon will also direct a production of “The Strange, the Crazed, the Queer,” at the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival this September on Cape Cod.
Brooks Egerton, one of the organizers of Sewanee Spoken Word, praised Landon’s work, and said his performance is part of the overall mission of the bi-weekly event.
“We want to stimulate and showcase writers and spoken-word performers in the Sewanee area,” he said. “There is so much talent here, on campus and off. An example of off-campus talent: residents at Rivendell Writers’ Colony, who come from all over the country, have performed to raucous applause at some of our recent gatherings. I’m on that organization’s board and hope to see more such cross-pollination.”
Sewanee Spoken Word, former known as Sewanee Poetry Night, has been a fixture at the Blue Chair for more than two years.
“We changed the name because great writing comes in so many shapes and sizes,” Egerton said. “We’ve recently heard terrific excerpts from novels, plays and narrative nonfiction in addition to poetry and short fiction. Poetry remains central to what we do.”
The event is free. For more information or to join the roster of readers, email <FogPoets@gmail.com>. Open mike follows the scheduled performances.