“By the rarest and most improbable of accidents, you happen to be what you are. Beautiful. Human. Alive.” -Tennessee Williams
‘We Have Not Long to Love’, is a trio of short plays by Tennessee Williams. In these vignettes, souls seemingly trapped by circumstance live as we watch vicariously.
"The Lady of Larkspur Lotion" — Two broken dreamers are lost in their fantasies.
"Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen" — Codependent lovers struggle to exist both within and without one another.
"The Case of the Crushed Petunias" — A restless shop owner is urged by a mysterious young man to leave town and embrace life.
A recurring, otherworldly figure—The Agent—guides us through these stories, serving as a “spirit of change” who seeks to awaken each character from their stagnation. This is more than a collection of plays — it is a singular journey through the eyes of Williams’s dreamers, reminding us that change is always within reach.
"We have not long to love.
Light does not stay.
The tender things are those
we fold away.
I could, but do not, break
that which is still.
(Almost the faintest whisper
would be shrill.)
So moments pass as though
they wished to stay.
We have not long to love.
A night. A day.... "
Tennessee Williams
Tobi King Bakare and this theatre deserve a shout-out for such a young, diverse audience. There is so much talk about audiences being full of over 60s and why, why can’t theatres get the crowds in to reflect society in general? Well, I’m happy to say that on a rainy Thursday evening, the theatre was completely full.
Caiti Grove on Before I Go in CPT's Spring 2023 season London Theatre Reviews
