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The Glass Menagerie

 



When: 8th July 2022

Where: Duke of York's Theatre, London

Writer: Tennesse Williams

Director: Jeremy Herrin


I enjoyed this play although there was nothing extraordinary about it. Amy Adams was advertised as the lead actress playing the character of Amanda Wingfield, it's her name and face that sit on the front of the programme. However, I felt she was probably the weakest performer on stage. There was something a little off about her portrayal of the character, and I couldn't help but feel the casting was wrong. For a start I thought she was possibly too young to play the character, the way she spoke about her youth and the way in which she spoke to her children to me implied she was more mature than the character portrayed by Adams. I also felt that the tone of her performance was not varied enough, despite multiple moments of varying emotions it never seemed to fully take off, and it left me needing more. This was especially noticeable when compared to the actors around her, who performed with great connection to Tennesse Williams writing. Perhaps the subtleties of Adams acting is more suited to the screen than the stage. Lizzie Annis' performance of Laura was perfectly executed and Paul Hilton's presence throughout felt sinister and intruiging, as I'm guessing it was intended to be. 

The set clearly played a key part in the overall effect of the production, as ushers were trying to prohibit the photography of the set as people were taking their seats (not very effectively). I liked the set, the realistic clutter that surrounded a raised black platform where the majority of the action took place was effective at creating the idea that the action being shown was plucked out of Tom's memory. I admired the appearance of the glass case filled with figurines, and the way it acted as a window at multiple points, but I felt it dominated the space a little too much, and there were points where i felt it was getting in the way of the actors. One of the most interesting aspects of this production was the decision to split the character of Tom, which created some wonderful moments for example one moment where they mirrored each other through the glass menagerie. This also allowed the older Tom to lurk around and react to the action taking place as he was aware of the consequences, however I feel this could have been explored further to create deeper dynamics. The proscenium arch at this theatre is very tall, but I actually think it worked to the advantage of the production, it created a dark, empty and eerie space above the stage that was particularly moody as the audience were entering. I know Jeremy Herrin has used screens in past productions, but I don't think it worked in this production, the projection didn't seem to fit nicely with the rest of the set and I'm not sure moving pictures added that much to the overall performance. The picture of the father was nice the first time, but after this it was unneccessary, we knew who the characters were talking about without them needing to remind us everytime.  I would have liked to have seen lighting used instead, such as a gobo or downstage birdies to create the effect of looking through the glass in a more subtle way. 

I had high hopes for this production, sadly I don't think it lived up to my expectations. Coming out of the theatre I couldn't help but feel nothing had really happened, it is a subtle play but I couldn't help but feel short changed. Saying this there was some lovely character development. I really liked the idea of the play being plucked from the characters memory, but A. I felt this was not explored in as much depth as I would have liked and B. I couldn't understand why he was telling us this story, there must have been a reason but I just didn't get it. I loved the scene between Laura and Jim O'Connor, the simplicity and intimacy of it was beautiful, it took up the majority of the second half with gentle waves of emotion, however the rest of the story felt almost unnecesary to this moment. I understand that there is a close connection between the Wingfields and Williams' own family, and an exploration of issues close to home, but I just didn't feel the message. Most plays leave me feeling something, relief, anger, satisfaction, mild hatred towards characters or issues, but I felt nothing. 

I'm not saying I didn't like this production, but I was disappointed by it. There was so much they could have done and explored that they just didn't and the whole thing felt flat. When comparing this to the 2014 production of A Streetcar Named Desire (avaliable online) which I loved, I don't think this production of the Glass Menagerie managed to reach the full potential found within Williams' classic play.

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