Borne out of her passion for the theater and iconic works of Tennessee Williams, actress and producer Nicole M. Gut founded Merciful Delusions Productions, LLC, which has brought a series of Tennessee’s rarely-seen one-acts to NYC audiences five times since 2016.
This year, Nicole partnered with Tony Award-nominated Director Lorraine Serabian and a talented team of young and seasoned performers to bring to life the theme of “delusions of grandeur.” The series included Moony’s Kid Don’t Cry, The Case of the Crushed Petunias, The Lady of Larkspur Lotion, and Hello From Bertha.
Says Producer Nicole Gut, who appeared as Bertha in Hello From Bertha, “Tennessee Williams understands the human condition and what it is like to be down and out. Yet, he writes with empathy and mercy; the theme of Merciful Delusions runs through all his works and many of his characters.”
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
Born Thomas Lanier Williams in Columbus, MI, in 1911, his bucolic and carefree childhood changed when his family moved to urban St. Louis, MO. He began to look inward and to write, he said, because “he found life unsatisfactory.”
After college, Williams moved to New Orleans, the setting for A Streetcar Named Desire. Significant critical acclaim arrived in 1944 when The Glass Menagerie came to Broadway and won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. He enjoyed the height of his career during the 40s and 50s on Broadway and in Hollywood, collaborating with the premier artists of his time, including Marlon Brando, Jessica Tandy, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, and the director Elia Kazan. He continued writing plays and stories until his death in NYC in 1983.
The production, an Actors Equity Association Showcase, sold out to audiences late last year. Attendees delighted in a red-carpet opening night, pre- and post-theater complimentary drinks at nearby Le Rivage, and pre-theatre matinee brunch at the iconic West Bank Cafe, a frequent hang out of Tennessee Williams and his friend Arthur Miller “back in the day.”
For more information on Merciful Delusions Productions, visit mercifuldelusions.com