Broadway Success and Childhood

Echoes of Tennessee Williams's troubled childhood find their way into Tennessee's first Broadway success, The Glass Menagerie.

Opening episode of the biography of America's great playwright by acclaimed theatre critic, John Lahr.

John Lahr's evocative biography of one of America's greatest playwrights vividly illustrates how Tennessee Williams drew on his personal experiences to create some of the most memorable characters of the American stage and screen such as Blanche, Stanley, Big Daddy, Brick, Amanda and Laura. Drawing on Tennessee Williams's poems, journals and private correspondence with friends and colleagues, Lahr creates a compelling portrait of William's turbulent personal life and his extraordinarily successful career.

John Lahr was the Senior Drama Critic at the New Yorker for 20 years. His other books include, Prick Up Your Ears: The Biography of Joe Orton.

Read by Damian Lewis with Trevor White as the voice of Tennessee Williams.

With the voices of Elaine Claxton, Bettrys Jones and Ian Conningham.

Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Producer: Elizabeth Allard

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2014.