“Life Upon the Wicked Stage” is a wicked good production of three one-acts by a burgeoning Tennessee Williams

With some artists, we may muse, “I wish I’d known  him when…” Of course, we can’t time travel, but most artists leave us with early works (and sometimes even juvenilia) that provide a glimpse into their development.

Case in point: Tennessee Williams. As one of America’s most celebrated playwrights, he had a prolific career that spanned more than four decades. Among his nearly 30 full-length plays, we know him best for iconic works such as “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “The Glass Menagerie,” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” – all masterpieces of American theater.

But Williams did not burst upon the stage full blown. He was a prolific writer of prose as well as plays, and his oeuvre includes 70 one-act plays, two novels, a memoir and multiple volumes of short stories and poems. Throughout his career, Williams received numerous accolades, including two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama, and his works continue to be studied, performed and revered worldwide.

Exploring Williams’ rich legacy while contributing to the cultural life of St. Louis is the mission of the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis. This year, the Festival’s ninth season, features “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” (at the Grandel Theatre) as well as the delightful “Life Upon the Wicked Stage,” a trio of Williams’ one acts presented in a cabaret-style performance on an intimate stage at the Curtain Call Lounge. The title takes it cue from a Kern and Hammerstein song from “Showboat” and serves as an excellent introduction to the one-acts that share a common theme of “show business.”

This performance includes “In Our Profession,” “The Magic Tower” and “The Fat Man’s Wife,” interspersed with vintage songs performed by Donna Weinsting that Williams himself might have been listening to while writing these one-acts. The well-curated song list includes “Skylark,” (Carmichael/Mercer), “My Blue Heaven,” (Donaldson/Whiting), “Side by Side,” (Woods), “Pennies from Heaven,” (Johnson/Burke), “Some of These Days” (Brooks) and “I’m Still Here” (Sondheim).

“Life Upon the Wicked Stage” is directed by Brian Hohlfeld with Spencer Lawton providing stage management, Tom Clear contributing musical direction and Teresa Doggett providing costume design. Weinsting, who also acts, is joined by Julie Layton, Julia Crump, Gary Barker and Dominic DeCicco in the performance of the one-acts.

Of the three, “The Fat Man’s Wife” offers the richest script – and as a result gives the actors the opportunity to deliver the fullest, most satisfying performances. The play is a fascinating glimpse into themes Williams would later expand upon in “Streetcar” and “Cat.” Williams wrote “The Fat Man’s Wife” in 1938 but it remained unproduced until 2004. It offers a nuanced exploration of emotional entrapment and the complex dynamics of love and power.

The play centers on Layton as Annabelle (Vera in the original script), a middle-aged woman trapped in a loveless marriage to a wealthy, controlling husband, played by Barker. When a younger man, Dennis (played by DeCicco) offers her a chance at escape, Annabelle is torn between the possibility of a new life and the fear of leaving the security of her marriage. The three actors deliver the play’s sharp dialogue, and their performances reveal the psychological depth of its characters. Even early, young Williams is still the immensely talented Williams.

“The Magic Tower” serves as an early glimpse into the themes that would later dominate Williams more famous works. Written in 1936, the play explores the tensions and dreams of a young artist couple (Layton and DeCicco), living in a dilapidated apartment they romantically dub the “magic tower.” This piece is notable for its exploration of illusion versus reality, a recurring motif in Williams’ later masterpieces like “Streetcar” and “Glass Menagerie.”

“In Our Profession” offers a frothy and compelling (though slight) examination of the complexities of artistic and personal integrity. Written in 1938, the play involves Annabelle (Layton), a touring actress, who describes her profession as “noisy, chaotic, flashy, irrational, and foolish,” but insists this doesn’t stop her from “being utterly sincere.”

This evening in St. Louis, Annabelle asks her latest suitor, Richard (Barker), for his hand in marriage. Barker’s Richard uses every tactic he can think of—playing records, making trips to the kitchen, even summoning a neighbor from upstairs—to avoid the conversation. But when Richard’s neighbor Paul (DeCicco) arrives to help, Annabelle’s (and Layton’s) fervor shifts with ease, displaying the same captivating allure as her artistic talent.

Together with Weinsting’s renditions of vintage songs that seem to emanate from a far-off, time-traveling radio that serve as pleasant interstitial interludes between the one-acts, “Life Upon the Wicked Stage” is a welcome part of this Festival. St. Louis theater goers are fortunate to have the opportunity to see a professional production of early career works by Williams because they offer a raw, intimate glimpse into the development of one of America’s greatest playwrights. These plays – as performed by this accomplished cast – capture Williams’ evolving themes of desire, vulnerability and human fragility in their most unrefined and powerful forms. To borrow a line from “Supernatural Superserious” by REM, “…everybody here, comes from somewhere…”

This is a unique opportunity to witness the roots of his later, more polished masterpieces in an intimate setting. Experiencing these early works is like discovering a rare gem that reveals the early brilliance and emotional depth that would come to define his celebrated career. The intimate stage at the Curtain Call is an inviting space in which to experience some of Williams’ lighter fare. And together with Weinsting’s song performances, it’s like two shows in one.

“Life Upon the Wicked Stage,” presented by the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis, continues through August 18 at the Curtain Call Lounge. For more information, visit their website.