Tiger Tail
Written by Tennessee Williams; Directed by Geoffrey Horne
Castle Clinton National Monument at the Battery, NYC
June 12-22, 2025
This invitation to review was exciting for a few reasons. First, it marked the fourth Tennessee Williams play I’d seen in the last two months. Second, the venue—Castle Clinton—is exactly my kind of space. I love a repurposed venue, especially outdoors. And third, Tiger Tail holds personal resonance: my late acting teacher, the brilliant Elizabeth Kemp, originated the role of Baby Doll in the 1977 stage adaptation, itself based on the controversial 1956 film.
I was seated early—my favorite time in the theatre. That quiet, pre-show moment when the crew moves in shadows, actors preset their props, and the sound check pulses low in the air. It’s a kind of backstage intimacy usually hidden from the audience, and part of what makes live theatre feel alive. I was fully settled when the show began.
We meet Baby Doll McCorkle (Billie Andersson), delicate and trapped—kept in a crib and married to a bitter alcoholic, Archie Lee Meighan (Steven J. Cambria). Their marriage, arranged by Baby Doll’s father, remains unconsummated until her 20th birthday—just four days away. Cambria’s Archie Lee was genuinely unnerving; he brought a simmering volatility to the role that made every scene with him feel unpredictable. He was very good.
Enter Silva Vaccaro (Juan Pablo Toro), an outsider played with a sweet tension of brooding and charm. His presence echoes the real history of Sicilian immigrants in the Deep South. At the turn of the 20th century, many settled in Louisiana and Mississippi, working plantations and often racialized as “other.” That tension hums beneath every move Silva makes. He’s handsome, foreign, and unwelcome—especially to Archie Lee, who seethes with envy and suspicion. Silva’s arrival ignites a slow-burning fuse of retaliation. And retaliation isn’t always tit for tat.
Circling around the central trio is Rose (Elizabeth Ruf), Baby Doll’s eccentric aunt, played with comic unpredictability—a blend of concern and chaos. The ensemble includes Narky Cyriaque as Rock, George Hayden as Sheriff Goglan, and TT Jones as Ruby. Jones’s Ruby, in particular, stood out. She felt like the character who knows everything but reveals nothing—calm, observant, powerful in stillness. The ensemble as a whole brought a textured energy to the world of the play. But we were only teased by them. Their brief appearances hinted at deeper stories just beneath the surface, and I found myself wanting more—more interaction, more tension, more stage time. They added to the atmosphere, but I was left craving their full presence.
Tiger Tail drips with Tennessee Williams signatures: oppressive heat, stifled sexuality, and quiet power struggles that eventually explode.
Geoffrey Horne’s direction made elegant use of Castle Clinton’s challenges. A multi-level Southern mansion was cleverly compressed into a modular, singular platform. With minimal shifts in tone and staging, distinct rooms emerged clearly. It was a smart approach for a site that demands portability and speed.
Here’s the thing about outdoor performance: the elements are always part of the cast. On this night, the weather was near-perfect—clear, calm, and just warm enough to echo the story’s simmering heat. Castle Clinton added its own texture: natural acoustics, soft ambient echoes, and the quiet rhythm of the harbor nearby. And of course, the pigeons—who I like to believe were also watching.
The production was presented by Shakespeare Downtown, based in Lower Manhattan, a company known for its free, site-specific presentations of classic works. Now in its ninth season, and serving over 10,000 audience members, Shakespeare Downtown has a history of producing quality classical theatre that’s accessible to everyone including: “Romeo and Juliet” (2016), “Richard III” (2017), “A Midsummer Night's Dream” (2018), “Hamlet “(2019), “The Three Sisters “(2021), “Saint Joan” (2022), “The Lady of the Camellias” (2023), and “Macbeth” (2024). Seeing Tiger Tail unfold beneath the open sky, with the harbor breeze and city sounds in the distance, was a reminder of the unique magic of outdoor theater in New York.
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Review by Malini Singh McDonald.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on June 15th, 2025. All rights reserved.