Camino Real

Rating:
Summary: A quote from editor's note
Review: "It had its Broadway premiere on March 19,1953, at the Martin Beck Theatre. The production was directed by Elia Kazan, with the assitance of Anna Sokolow."

Rating:
Summary: The "Confessions" of Tennessee Williams
Review: Its surrealistic "dream within a dream" stylings makes "Camino Real" (pronounced "Kam-uh-no Reel") one of Tennessee Williams' more difficult plays to read (e.g., Don Quixote and Lord Byron both pass through the Camino Real - a weigh station for lost souls). However, this play (which I first encountered in a college literature class when I was 24), more so than any of his other works, offers us the biggest glimpse into Williams's soul.

For my money, the theme of this play is coming to terms with the thought of growing older and possibly becoming irrelevant/obsolete. For Williams, such concepts terrified him on both professional and personal levels: (a) he wrote this play at a time when his "star" had already fallen, and he was no longer the "golden boy" of Broadway; (b) additionally, Williams was an aging member of the homosexual community (which emphasizes youth and beauty to a fault). Thus, as he explores such themes, Williams (whether intentional or not) offers us a ringside view into his fears and emotions as he wrestles with such inevitabilities and resolves to look for reasons to remain positive about life regardless.

Side note: on a lyrical level, the play is filled with dialogue that is at times poetic (e.g., "Make voyages!- Attempt them! - there is nothing else.")

Not necessarily easy reading, but definitely worth reading!

Rating:
Summary: Perhaps I'm biased...
Review: Yes, perhaps I'm biased, because I was in this play at my university and so the characters were all too real for me because my friends were playing them, but I really loved this story. The symbolism is just great and there's a lot of food for thought. Many people who came to see our production didn't understand the work, and I must admit, it is obscure and fairly difficult to understand. Don't let that get in your way. This is a must read, if only because of those cooky and creepy street cleaners, and a bunch of cameos by some very famous characters.