Award-winning and critically acclaimed director Atri Banerjee returns to the Royal Exchange Theatre with his fresh retelling of The Glass Menagerie - the play that launched Tennessee Williams’ career, marking him out as one of the most celebrated playwrights of the 20th Century.
Originally programmed for 2020 and postponed due to the pandemic, this contemporary production brings all four original cast, Geraldine Somerville, Rhiannon Clements, Joshua James and Eloka Ivo as it runs from September 2 until 8 October.
Tennessee Williams’ semi-autobiographical memory play pulls apart the complex dynamics of an oppressive family life, and shows how unpredictable, painful and volatile memory can be. Tom recalls his mother Amanda, his sister Laura and the overwhelming responsibility of family ties that bind you for life.
Playing the family matriarch, Amanda Wingfield, is Geraldine Somerville who is desperate for a gentleman caller to change the fortunes of her shy and withdrawn daughter Laura, who is crippled and spends her time 'in a world of her own' listening to music and caring for a collection of glass animals.
Her sonTom attempts to escape a stifling home life through cigarettes and long visits to the movies. When Tom brings home a potential suitor for Laura, Amanda seizes the opportunity to change their fortunes. Amanda is hell-bent on Laura finding a man and describes a time when she had 17 gentlemen callers in one afternoon.
The very idea of the potential suitor, Jim, a boy Laura remembers from high school, coming to the house makes her feel physically sick but her mother will not excuse her from the dinner, desperate for her daughter to not be left behind. The pressure was palpable, the atmosphere in the theatre intense thanks to powerful performances and captivating acting perfectly portray the suffocating oppression of family life and frustration.
A stand out part of the play for me was a charming dance scene between Laura and Jim, when Laura manages to come out of her shell and reveals herself to be charming and engaging as they sway to Whitney Houston's One Moment In Time. A passionate kiss between the pair leaves Laura disappointed and bruised when Jim reveals he is in fact engaged to another.
A stripped back set and just four actors is all it takes to hold the attention of a captivated audience with this powerful play. Frustration, disappointment and suffocating oppression walk hand in hand with genuine love and care in this intimate portrayal of family life.
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