Posted July 25
Everyone knows the story: a father leaves, a daughter plays with glass, a mother dreams of gentlemen callers, and a son gets fed up. But every now and then theatregoers need a reminder of just why they know the story. They need to revisit the classic with a new perspective. They need to know Tennessee Williams' famous poetic prose has not been reduced to clich?s.
In a fresh interpretation of Williams' famed text, the Kennedy Center's "The Glass Menagerie" gives theatergoers exactly what they need. Directed by Gregory Mosher, the production brings together a genius text with expert directing and acting to create a thought-provoking new take on the drama.
"Menagerie" features two-time Oscar-winner Sally Field in the role of Amanda, a single mother who tries desperately to impose on her children a Southern-born standard of success. While Amanda is typically villainized in productions of "Menagerie," Field takes a new and entirely credible approach to the part. For her, Amanda is not only an overbearing has-been but also a woman of profound strength and misguided love. Field takes Williams' penetrating wit and runs with it, gaining the audience's laughs and, more importantly, their empathy. Her tortured charm allows Field to avoid the mark of antagonism, while an elemental strength may even crown her the heroine.
But though Field commands attention, she certainly does not steal the limelight. The gem of the production is watching Jennifer Dundas play Laura, the handicapped daughter of Amanda. For the first half of the play she goes practically unnoticed, limping here and there when the script calls for it. But as the story moves along, Dundas' ethereal presence begins to materialize. The power of her performance lies in her subtleties-her quick, instinctual cry when Tom knocks over her glass figurine, the wavering of her voice when she is asked a question. In these nuances, we see Williams' literary genius come to life.
Less inspired or less restrained portrayals of Laura tend to make her seem crazy. But Dundas' performance reveals the far more disturbing reality: She has been scared into a painfully shy existence, and is consciously unfit for the social world. And if she is not mentally detached from reality, then she is tragically stuck in the thick of it.
Cast members Jason Butler Harner (Tom) and Corey Brill (Gentleman Caller) achieve similar effects and resist the temptation to become caricatures of the classic "Glass Menagerie" forms. Here, Tom is not just a hopeless romantic, but also as cruel as some might have once interpreted Amanda to be. Likewise, the Gentleman Caller is both arrogant and surprisingly endearing.
The set mirrors the effect of the ironic performances. Williams' stage directions call for a cramped apartment with a fire escape, and the "Menagerie" set obliges. But set designer John Lee Beatty adds a further element of isolation with his three-dimensional approach. The apartment fills only part of the stage and is pushed as close as possible toward the audience. Surrounding the apartment are the cold brick walls of neighboring buildings towering above the Wingfield's meager rooms. While impressive in depth and stature, the gray-colored walls of this Gotham City and their static neon lights serve a dark duality: their contrast with the golden-hued apartment underscore Laura's reliance on her home as a refuge, and their lofty height evokes the grand, indescribable something that imprisons the Wingfields-their illusory past. The space of the apartment is both haven and hell.
"The Glass Menagerie" will play at The Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theatre through August 8. Performances begin at 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets range from $25-$75. For ticket information call (800) 444-1324 or (202) 467-4600.
