I was torn between needing my own head and thoughts and needing to talk out loud about what I had just watched – live, raw and up close, really close.
My curiosity got the better of me when I read the description of this particular play called Green Eyes by Tennessee Williams.
Green Eyes was written in 1971 and remained unpublished until it was brought to life with a Company One production.
This past Saturday, myself and 24 other people, three of them being my close friends, Stacey, Rob and Sergio, were escorted to a hotel room in the Ames Hotel in order to voyeuristically watch this erotic, sensual, disturbing and thoughtful play with just two main characters. Sat in front of the bed waiting for the play to start, I had no idea what to expect. The room goes dark and out comes a woman who stares intently at the audience and says “Welcome to my honeymoon” in a New Orleans lazy drawl.
Newlyweds, the Dumphy’s wake up on the morning after their honeymoon night, him in his boxer shorts and dog tags and her in nothing but panties and covered in scratches and bruises. Why did a young wife on her honeymoon to a “Waakow” (a fictional Vietnam) soldier wake up with bruises all over her? How did he not know what happened? Claude Dumphy is obviously suffering with what we now know as PTSD, but she is a different creature altogether – perhaps also suffering a form of PTSD? Instead of Waakow this battlefield is the bedroom and the exploration of violence and intense psychosexuality between two damaged people.
Erin Markey plays the wife who is only ever referred to as Mrs Dumphy and is brilliant in her portrayal of an insane and slightly deviant bride. Alan Brinick plays the husband, Claude Dumphy and his intensity at not understanding what is going on almost hurts your stomach to watch as his anger ebbs and flows with total confusion. I felt compelled to try and come to terms about what was happening and work it out for myself. This play truly pulled at the emotional strings of getting to the truth! What was the truth? The “truth” is shared towards the end but I am not sure I believe it or want to believe it.
Green Eyes is only an hour long and can be uncomfortable to watch and leave you with a pit in your stomach, however, if you have a passion for something completely different, I highly recommend it.
Sadly, Green Eyes just wrapped up at the Ames Hotel but I am sure giving its popularity it will be back soon. If not, I would definitely try and track it down in another city.
It was intense. Loved seeing it with you.