The Road: GOBBLEDYGOOK

THE ROAD A big, ugly, edible lizard called the iguana is, in Mexico, more or less what the Thanksgiving turkey is in the U.S. Mexicans catch iguanas, fatten them up, and serve them on festive occasions. Tennessee Williams’ latest play, now in Chicago and headed for Broadway this month, is called The Night of the Iguana. And from all indications last week, despite impressive performances by Margaret Leighton and Bette Davis, it is indeed a massive turkey.

Chicago critics have carved it up. The Tribune, for example, found the play “bankrupt . . . barren . . . bleakly dull.” And the Sun-Times called it “something of a dud … a swollen vignette . . . vulgarity for the sake of vulgarity, padding for the sake of fill, waterfront humor to patch the gaps and the pulpit for preaching.”

“Perhaps I’ve tried to do too much too quick,” shrugged Williams. “It’s taken a great physical toll. I lamented my fiftieth birthday last March, and I think it’s time to let up a bit. I know now that I need a long rest before writing anything more, and then I’ll work off-Broadway.”