Transmuting Performance: Metatheatre Meets Esotericism in Tennessee Williams's The Two-Character Play

At first sight, Tennessee Williams's The Two-Character Play (1967-1975) would seem to present a rather unusual cultural encounter: it offers a highly self-reflexive story about an actor duo steeped in references to a wide variety of esoteric traditions. But upon closer inspection the alliance need not be unlikely. In my paper, I would like to explore the ways in which Williams interweaves metatheatre with esotericism. Transmutation will prove of vital importance here. The different forms of the esoteric Williams includes aim to transmute those that engage with them. Moreover, transmutation can be viewed as the process through which the inner as well as the outer play came into being and is thus self-reflexive. In order to create the inset, the male protagonist transmuted the traumatic events he and his sister lived into the text they will perform. The tale of an unpopular playwright unable to leave behind his craft and overly attached to his deranged sister, The Two-Character Play has been viewed as another one of Williams's stage (auto)biographies. While it is undeniable some of the writer's experiences fed into the frame and inset, the emphasis lies on their transmutation. Apart from this metamorphosis of life into art, the outer and inner play are subject to a different kind of transmutation. Both are of a fluid nature. The text of the inset is still in progress during its performance, a result of the male protagonist's additions and his female counterpart's cuts. As is often the case, the genealogy of Williams's play consists of multiple versions developed over several years under different titles. Transmutation makes for the blurred distinction between different ontological levels, only one example of the boundary crossing once again conjoining metatheatre and the esoteric.