Tennessee Williams’ 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton

One of Fox And Hound Theatre Company’s three Tennessee Williams productions being performed during the Fringe, 27 Wagons Full Of Cotton was a particularly grim melodrama, focusing on those old Williams staples of misogyny and rape, and arson. Following a housewife treated as little more than a bargaining chip between her violent husband Meaghan (a hateable Codge Crawford) and suspicious cotton trader Silva (an equally hateable Steven Carruthers), strong performances, particularly from Helen Fox as the hauntingly wretched Flora, left the audience visibly shaken. This made for an unflinching portrait of the horrors of dysfunctional relationships in times of recession.

Rialto Theatre, Brighton, until 3 June 2017

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