The Guthrie Theater’s recent production of The Night of the Iguana is a true visual work of art. The play is solid with both strengths and weaknesses in its performance.

Written by Tennessee Williams, The Night of the Iguana is an evocative play. This celebrated writer of American Theater is famous for many productions including A Glass Menagerie, A Street Car Named Desire, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Unlike many of his plays, The Night of the Iguana has uncommon consequences for his tortured hero in comparison to the typically violent endings experienced by his other characters.

The Night of the Iguana addresses an individual’s search for self-purpose and meaning within a life time, no matter how short or long. It tells the story of a day in the life of Lawrence Shannon, a discouraged Episcopalian minister working as a tour guide in Mexico. On the brink of a mental breakdown, he seeks psychological comfort from an old friend, who he discovers has died from a freak fishing accident, at the Costa Verde hotel.

The first act of the production is relatively slow, but the show gains momentum by the second act. The distinction between the actor and the character becomes smaller as the show progresses and allows audience members to immerse themselves within the story.

Armand Schultz, who plays Shannon, moves around Guthrie’s famous thrust stage with ease. His mannerisms expose the nervous tendencies of the defrocked minister on the brink of insanity.

Schultz’s performance is complimented by Kate Forbes’ portrayal of Hannah Jelkes, a broke traveling artist and spinster who totes around her grandfather. Her grandfather is a poet who is saving his last breath of life for his final poem. Forbes harnesses Tennessee Williams’ poised female character with the amount of pride, secrecy and modesty that the text itself emits.

The character of Maxine Faulk, a sexually aggressive widow and hotel manger is played by Patricia Hodges. Hodges storms through the majority of the first act with a physical intensity that masks the pain and emotional complications portrayed by the lines. Hodges’ physical performance in the second act, however, specifically highlights the characters internal struggle with loneliness.

The artistic staff of this show out did themselves. The set, designed by James Youmans, creates a vivid image of Mexico, and the lighting, designed by Marcus Dillard, creates a climate of the tropics that heightens the senses.

Framed by palm trees, the scene is set on the verandah of the Costa Verde Hotel. From vegetation to the fading red and blue paints on the plaster walls, the set and the lighting makes it simple for anyone engaged in the performance to believe they are in the Central American mountains.

The Night of the Iguana plays with the idea of life, death and the duration of a person’s time on earth. Williams juxtaposes short and long-lived lives with his characters. He emphasizes that a person’s place in society is directly affected by how they engage themselves in life.