After a two-year postponement due to the pandemic, Livingston’s Blue Slipper Theatre will present four one-act plays written by American theatre icon Tennessee Williams and directed by Marc Beaudin. The performances run from February 25 to March 6, with Friday and Saturday performances at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. The Blue Slipper is located at 113 E. Callender St.

Talk to Me Like the Rain: Short Plays by Tennessee Williams includes a sampling of two-person dramas written from 1940 to 1970. Together, the plays examine the variety of ways people strive to connect and sometimes fail to connect – issues that have only become more pertinent with the past two years of social distancing and political divisiveness.

“Auto-Da-Fé,” featuring Merin Coats and Daniel Bristol-Barnes, explores the dangers of religious fanaticism and repressed desires. “I Can’t Imagine Tomorrow,” featuring Amy Brummit and Hugh Kinslow, is a look at the co-dependency of close friends faced with looming changes. “Moony’s Kid Don’t Cry,” featuring Bret Kinslow and Lisa Garcia, pits a young couple’s dreams against a seemingly bleak reality. Rounding out the production, “Talk to Me Like the Rain And Let Me Listen …,” featuring Hugh Kinslow and Aubrie McCall Houston, is a poetic rumination on despair and hope.

Williams believed that theatre should be “a punch to the sternum,” and these plays definitely pack an emotional wallop. However, there is much in these works to be uplifted and thrilled by – to even find joy in.

As part of Beaudin’s design concept, each play will feature an original painted backdrop created by celebrated local artists Jim Barrett, Edd Enders, Angie Froke and Aaron Schuerr. Joining the production for this re-boot iteration is sound designer Ted Robinson, who has created audio for numerous films, and is crafting an emotive soundscape to enhance the action of the plays.

Williams, along with his contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, is considered among the three foremost playwrights of 20th-century American drama. After years of obscurity, he became suddenly famous with the success of The Glass Menagerie. It was the first of a string of hits, including A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Sweet Bird of Youth, and The Night of the Iguana. He also wrote over 70 one-act plays, as well as short stories, poetry, essays and a memoir.

The show runs approximately an hour and a half and will be performed with one 15-minute intermission. To protect our community, seating capacity is limited and masks will be required. Tickets range from $10 to $20, and are available at blueslipper.org.