Reviews for Kingdom of Earth: (The Seven Descents of Myrtle)

The average rating for Kingdom of Earth: (The Seven Descents of Myrtle) based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-12-09 00:00:00 Vero Piacentini Kingdom Of Earth This Tennessee Williams play with two names, "Kingdom of Earth" and "The Seven Descents of Myrtle", failed within one month when it was produced on Broadway in 1968. A product of Williams' long years of decline, the play borrows heavily from the playwright's earlier works in its characters and plot devices. As with other works of the late Williams, "Kingdom of Earth" is better than its reputation. Set in the rural Mississippi Delta in the early 1960s, the play has three characters, Lot, Myrtle, and Chicken. The action takes place in a decrepit farmhouse on a single night. A severe flood is about to burst through the levees and submerge the farmhouse and its surroundings. Lot, the owner of the farm, and his new wife Myrtle return to the farm in the midst of the impending flood. The couple married on television in a tawdry prize show. Lot did not tell his bride-to-be that he had only one lung and had been diagnosed with a fatal case of tuberculosis. Lot is also impotent, attached to his dead mother, and a transvestite. Myrtle, for her part, is busty and full of life. She has been a sleazy showgirl and probably a prostitute and has borne four children out of wedlock. She wants to make a home for and be a mother to her husband. Chicken is Lot's half brother and is part African American. He is raw, uncouth and sensual. Chicken manages the farm under an agreement with Lot under which he will become the owner upon Lot's impending death. The marriage to Myrtle threatens this arrangement. Lot and Chicken try not so subtly to out-maneuver each other with Myrtle as the pawn. Myrtle ultimately is taken with Chicken and his magnetism as Lot dies in the oncoming flood. The play is in a mix of styles. Portions of the work are laugh-aloud funny while in other parts Williams imitates himself. Although lengthy, the play reads quickly and well. It becomes a crude form of a Southern Gothic melodrama with the old house, the storm, the crass behavior and development of the past of the characters. I enjoyed getting to know the play. "Kingdom of Earth" received mostly negative reviews on its original production. Clive Barnes of the New York Times saw considerable merit in the work and in Williams' character of Myrtle as portrayed by Estelle Parsons. Barnes wrote: "What is good about the play -- and this survives all Mr. Williams' nonsensical flim-flam about sex and nature -- is the character of Myrtle. ... Mr. Williams seems to have fallen in love with Myrtle, and he has drawn her with affection, humor and observation. If only he had set her down in a proper play rather than some dirt track apparently leading off Tobacco Road, all might have been saved, for here is a real girl caught with a shabby, yet honest poetry. The tart of gold is not an original in dramatic literature, but Myrtle is sweeter and funnier than most." (New York Times, May 28, 1968) In 1970, a film version of the play was released under the title "The Last of the Mobile Hot Shots". Gore Vidal wrote the screenplay, which featured Lynn Redgrave as Myrtle. The play has had several revivals since its original failure. The reviews of these productions suggest that the play can work successfully with careful staging and acting. The work is included in the second of the two Library of America volumes devoted to the plays of Tennessee Williams. Robin Friedman

Review # 2 was written on 2014-10-11 00:00:00 Allen Myerson This is true, that's Tom reading the story *drools in delight* I heard a short part of it called "stories before bedtime" its actually an erotic story. The bonus about this is, it was read by Tom Hiddleston in a 'southern accent'. It was amazing. I was laughing out loud how Tom voiced out the characters, especially the character, Myrtle, it was hilarious. And the erotic part... Oh dear heaven, I don't know if you'll squeal, squirm, giggle or die laughing. Great to hear the story at bedtime;)