''Period of Adjustment'' is a 1960 play by

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thr ...

that was adapted in the film version of 1962. Both the stage and film versions are set on Christmas Eve and tell the gentle, light-hearted story of two couples, one newlywed and the other married for five years, both experiencing pains and difficulties in their relationships. The two male characters are veterans of the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

. The younger of the two experiences

post traumatic stress Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...

( shellshock, battle fatigue,

combat stress reaction Combat stress reaction (CSR) is acute behavioral disorganization as a direct result of the trauma of war. Also known as "combat fatigue", "battle fatigue", or "battle neurosis", it has some overlap with the diagnosis of acute stress reaction used ...

), and the older man suffers from feelings of inadequacy towards his wife, the daughter of his boss. However, the observance of each other’s troubles brings both couples to realize what they have and to reconcile their own relationships. Williams wrote the first draft of the play in November 1958 "in a rush of activity partly induced by drugs." It was workshopped for a week in December 1958 and officially premiered at the

Helen Hayes Theatre The Hayes Theater (formerly the Little Theatre, New York Times Hall, Winthrop Ames Theatre, and Helen Hayes Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 240 West 44th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Named for actres ...

on Broadway on November 10, 1960. It was directed by

George Roy Hill George Roy Hill (December 20, 1921 – December 27, 2002) was an American film director. He is most noted for directing such films as ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969) and ''The Sting'' (1973), both starring Paul Newman and Robert Re ...

, the stage settings and lighting were by Jo Mielziner, the costumes were by Patricia Zipprodt, and the production stage manager was William Chambers. The play, which Williams subtitled "a serious comedy," was a departure from the playwright's usual dark dramas, and was written partly in response to a Hollywood columnist who had asked why his plays were always "plunging into the sewers." Williams responded to the criticism by writing ''Period of Adjustment'' and arguing, in a piece that was published in ''The New York Times'', The play received average reviews and closed March 4, 1961 after 132 performances. The original cast was: * James Daly as Ralph Bates * Barbara Baxley as Isabel Haverstick * Robert Webber as George Haverstick * Helen Martin as Susie * Esther Benson as Lady Caroler In February 2006, the play was revived at the

Almeida Theatre The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325-seat producing house with an international reputation, which takes its name from the street on which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diver ...

in London.

Footnotes

References

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External links

* {{Tennessee Williams 1960 plays American plays adapted into films Plays by Tennessee Williams Plays set in the United States Southern United States in fiction Christmas plays New Directions Publishing books