The Magic Tower and Other One-Act Plays

Here are portraits of American life during the Great Depression and after, populated by a hopelessly hopeful chorus girl, a munitions manufacturer ensnared in a love triangle, a rural family that deals 'œjustice'� on its children, an overconfident mob dandy, a poor couple who quarrel to vanquish despair, a young 'œspinster'� enthralled by the impulse of rebellion, and, in 'œThe Magic Tower,'� a passionate artist and his wife whose youth and optimism are not enough to protect their 'œdream marriage.'� This new volume gathers some of Williams's most exuberant early work and includes one-acts that he would later expand to powerful full-length dramas: 'œThe Pretty Trap,'� a cheerful take on The Glass Menagerie , and 'œInterior: Panic,'� a stunning precursor to A Streetcar Named Desire . The plays included: At Liberty '¢ The Magic Tower '¢ Me, Vashya '¢ Curtains for the Gentleman '¢ In Our Profession '¢ Every Twenty Minutes '¢ American Gothic '¢ The Case of the Crushed Petunias '¢ Moony's Kid Don't Cry '¢ The Dark Room '¢ The Pretty Trap '¢ Interior: Panic '¢ The Reading '¢ I Never Get Dressed Till After Dark on Sundays '¢ Kingdom of Earth '¢ Some Problems for The Moose Lodge