★★★★

“a gorgeous revival that succeeds in bringing a fresh perspective on a classic play”

Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie is an iconic play that will always divide critical opinion. Many claim it to be Williams’ best work so it can be hard to adapt such a piece whose text is already so beloved. Yet Jay Miller is fearless in his contemporary approach to theatre making and this play is no different.

The Glass Menagerie follows the narration of Tom Wingfield (Tom Varey) as he recalls the last few weeks of his time living with his Mother, Amanda (Sharon Small), and sister, Laura (Eva Morgan). During this time Amanda is on a tiresome search to find Laura a husband, given her lack of other prospects due to dropping out of business school. Luckily, Tom brings home his colleague Jim (Jad Sayegh) for dinner. However all is not what it seems with Jim, and what proceeds may break Laura’s heart.

The play opens with Tom’s introductory monologue and makes use of the distinctions of setting in the text with the actual staging. There’s music in the background, an image of the moon looms over the stage and the entire room is hazy like a distant memory. It’s an excellent introduction to Tom as a narrator, which continues perfectly throughout. Throughout Act One there are scene changes that reflect Tom jumping through memories, for example when Amanda is on the phone selling magazines to various people. Here the set (Cécile Trémolières) and lighting (Sarah Readman) work perfectly together to create different spaces of the otherwise very intimate space to create these time jumps. Tom is often both in the action as it happens and commenting on it. It is clear throughout that even though we may watch him in the scenes, he is still very much on the outside – reflecting how much Tom feels like an outlier from the very family and social path he has been given in life.

The performances in this show are spectacular throughout. Sharon Small portrays the matriarchal Amanda with a commanding yet sympathetic spirit which allows the audience to identify with her good intentions. Tom Varey is incredibly succinct and whole in his characterisation of Tom and I often thought he must have been having a lot of fun while playing such a rollercoaster of a character. Eva Morgan triumphs in the timid, shy sensibilities of Laura but still relishes in her youthful joy and curiosity for her interests. It’s a beautiful portrayal in what can be a highly misunderstood and challenging role. And Jad Sayegh finds the perfect comedic beats throughout his small time in the action. Sayegh is used throughout Act One as a symbol, often stalking in the background. Tom describes him in the text as “the long-delayed but always expected something that we live for”. Sayegh stares at the action, waiting for the perfect moment to join, wearing a bright yellow spot suit-like attire (a unique choice from Lambdog1066).

There were moments where the technical choices were a bit imposing such as the use of strobe lighting and flashes throughout which were a little disorientating, but luckily they were used for less than ten seconds each time.

Overall, The Glass Menagerie at The Yard Theatre is a gorgeous revival that succeeds in bringing a fresh perspective on a classic play, finding the perfect balance between fast paced time jumps and wonderful dialogue that is given the space to breathe. A fantastic show to end on before The Yard closes ahead of reopening next year in its new purpose built home. I cannot wait to see what they bring to the new space if this is anything to go by.

THE GLASS MENAGERIE at Alexandra Palace Theatre

★★★★

“haunting and dynamic”

Against the backdrop of arrested decay in the Alexandra Palace theatre blares a rotating neon sign reading “PARADISE”. The shiny circular stage is decorated around the edges with the eponymous glass menagerie and later with added candles and flowers (Rosanna Vize). As the scenes progress the sign turns like a clock hand; the threat of lost time looming over the characters. Tennessee William’s memory play is set in the 1930s, in this production, the cast adopt modern costumes and props to illuminating effect as the family drama is grounded in a more recent era. The scenes are underscored with eery instrumentals (Giles Thomas) and characters make use of two microphones on stands to emphasis the overwhelming nature of their conversations as the family suffocate each other with words. Echoing the turn of the sign, the company move around cyclically (movement Anthony Missen) winding on and off the stage as they orbit each other. With every entrance and exit comes the risk of breaking a glass animal, implying the precarious circumstances of the family.

The Wingfield family consist of a resentful writer and narrator Tom (Kasper Hilton-Hille), his histrionic mother Amanda (Geraldine Somerville) and anxiety-ridden sister Laura (Natalie Kimmerling). The play follows the family navigating financial strain, familial roles and desperation to secure stability in their lives. Amanda places her hope in the prospect of getting Laura married after she drops out of a business course due to her anxiety. Tom loses himself by writing poems and going to the movies and argues with his mother over money and craving independence. Jim O’Conner (Zacchaeus Kayode) joins the play more in Act Two as a colleague of Tom and former high school crush of Laura.

Somerville depicts Amanda with a multi-layered performance with humour and dignity, never adopting a shrill tone or overly manic demeanour. She is berating and materialistic, but cares deeply for Laura and Tom and attempts to pre-empt and solve problems. She is overbearing but also earnestly helps Laura pursue independence and happiness. She worries reasonably about Tom’s nightly escapes but ultimately has outbursts that alienate her children. Kimmerling presents Laura as a kind ostracised young woman, dogged by onsets of panic and insecurity. Her journey shows her sociable abilities and emotional intelligence, as well as her fragility and internal torment. Her performance is beautifully moving and the relationship between the siblings is touching. Watching her get so close to happiness but not quite achieve it is sad, but what makes the story tragic is her inability to emotionally recover from the setbacks in her life. Hilton-Hille captures Tom’s adolescent frustration and solemn reflection as he recounts his life. The growing conflict with his mother are balanced with his concern for Laura. In Act Two Kayode portrays the perfect man in Jim; empathic and charismatic, but also nostalgic and pathologising. He finds Laura intriguing and intelligent, but flawed. He offers her advice and ruminates on resilience; “everybody’s got problems”. Director Atri Banerjee bring outs the fun and joy of their would-be romance with dancing and music, leaving the audience wanting Laura to believe in love and more.

The family dynamic is captured through movement as they weave around the glowing “PARADISE” focal point above accompanied by dramatic backlights and dimly lit candles (Lee Curran). The drama’s intensity is heightened by the large performance space, creating a sense of loneliness and magnitude, with characters entering and exiting into the upstage void. The direction is slick, focusing on the intention of the conversations rather than fixating on the setting. This production of Glass Menagerie is haunting and dynamic, with each turn of the fluorescent sign pushing the family to the brink.

Tag Archives: Tennessee Williams

THE GLASS MENAGERIE

★★★★

The Yard Theatre

THE GLASS MENAGERIE

The Yard Theatre

★★★★

“a gorgeous revival that succeeds in bringing a fresh perspective on a classic play”