Mister Paradise

Tennessee Williams had a distinct talent for writing short plays and, not surprisingly, this remarkable new collection of never-before-published one-acts includes some of his most poignant and hilarious characters: the indefatigable, witty and tough drag queens of *And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens...*; the strange little man behind the nom de plume *Mister Paradise*; and the extravagant mistress who cheats on her married man in *The Pink Bedroom*. Most were written in the 1930s and early 1940s when Williams was already flexing his theatrical imagination. Chosen from over seventy unpublished one-acts, these are some of Williams's finest; several have premiered recently at The Hartford Stage Co., The Kennedy Center, the Manhattan Theatre Club and the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival. Included in this volume:

*These Are the Stairs You Got to Watch*

*Mister Paradise*

*The Palooka*

*Escape*

*Why Do You Smoke So Much, Lily?*

*Summer At the Lake*

*The Big Game*

*The Pink Bedroom*

*The Fat Man's Wife*

*Thank You, Kind Spirit*

*The Municipal Abattoir*

*Adam and Eve on a Ferry*

*And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens...*

Long associated with Williams, acclaimed stage and film actors Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson provide a fresh and challenging foreword for actors, directors, and readers.