Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) was born in Columbus, Mississippi, with all the proper psychological accoutrements to become a great writer. His family was abysmally dysfunctional, his mother a narcissist with a streak of snobbery, denial and grandiosity (much like the mother in The Glass Menagerie), and his father an often-absent, smalltime businessman with a temper, active fists and an aversion to his delicate son, who, as we all know, was destined to grow up to be a homosexual, a tough row to hoe in the deep South.

Transformed into what appears to be a room of curiosities, the Yard’s black-box theatre this week evokes a sense of wonder. A guitar leans against a funky metal chair, a streetlight stands in one corner, a piano is angled in the other and a lamp with no shade illuminates the stage.

But there’s a softness to the lighting that smooths what might be rougher edges of junk and turns it into a collection of life’s treasures.

Tennessee Williams Tribute

You know about A Streetcar Named Desire. You also know about The Glass Menagerie, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Rose Tattoo and on and on. The work of Tennessee Williams is celebrated on stage and screen, but if for some reason you haven’t seen or read his work, the time is now.

Big Lady, Big Laughs, Comedy Tonight

Some call her Big Roz. Others call her Lady Roz G. Most just call her drop-dead funny.

Roz G. is on the Vineyard July 7 through 9, as the opening performer of a summer of comedy thanks to the folks at Knock-Knock productions. All performances take place at the Katharine Cornell Theatre located at 54 Spring street in Vineyard Haven.