Play Review: The Glass Menagerie

I saw the opening night production of the Mark Taper Forum's producion of Tennessee William's classic The Glass Menagerie on 9/12. I have to say, it was one of the best things I've seen in a while. The thing that separated this from other producions of Menagerie was that director, Gordon Edelstein, put a "30 degree spin", as Michael Ritchie, Center Theatre Group Artistic Director called it, on the show.



It is seen through the eyes of Tennessee Williams (aka Tom Wingfield) after he has left his mother and sister - sort of a semi-autobiographical play. When you look at it from the perspective of Williams' life, the show has a new spark and life.


The acting was phenomenal. Overall, strong performances from a great group of actors. They played off each other very well, and generally had some great chemistry. 


Judith Ivey played Amanda, the former Southern-belle who just wants to get her daughter a husband. She was perfection - the right blend of overprotective and neurotic, and vulnerable and pathetic. Her character development was a joy to watch, and when I say a joy, I mean uncomfortable and disturbing. She played the role perfectly. Without giving too much away, her final scene was heaven - fantastic acting at its finest. In short, she stole the show, as any two-time Tony Award winner should.
 

Keira Keeley played Laura, Amanda's disabled daughter. While I felt she was a little one-note in the first act, she blossomed and shone in the second. Her scenes with Jim, played by The O.C.'s Ben Mckenzie (who was perfectly cast), were so real and so raw, I felt like I was watching two people having a conversation. Then when she crumbles at the end, she is so broken; the contrast is stunning. She really evolved as a character, which is nice to see, instead of a Laura who is sad and lonely the whole show. Without giving too much away, her performance towards the end of the play really made me think everything was going to turn out well. Lots of very natural and strong emotions, but not overdramatic and unrealistic. A very beautiful performance of a difficult role when looked at holistically. 


Speaking of Ben McKenzie, I was at first very excited, then very worried when I saw his name in the program. However, he was Jim O'Connor. I felt bad for him, but I still had some hope that his character was going to make it out okay. He was incredibly real and natural. I saw in his eyes the desperation he had to try and relive his glory days, and the spark that came to his voice when he and Keeley discuss their high school lives in Act II. He shows he can be a lot more than Ryan Atwood.


At first, I had problems with Patch Darragh who played Tom. I felt his voice was too whiny and his mannerisms were too outrageous. He was a character, which detracted from the character of the mother, who is supposed to be the most outrageous and extravagent personality of the four characters. As the show progressed, I remembered that he was playing Tom as Tennessee Williams, so now that I understood his character choices, I liked his performance so much more. Still, he was the weakest in the bunch - he wasn't awful, but he wasn't as strong as Ivey, Keeley or McKenzie.


This was a very magical production. Its funny, its sad, its disturbing, its pathetic, its smart, its thought provoking. It really is like looking in on a family going through a hard time - very real and very raw.  However, one thing that did bother me (and this is being a bit nit-picky) was that the hotel Tom starts in is also used as the Wingfield house. The lighting differentiated between the past and the present, the hotel and the house, but I still would have liked to see some stronger differences. I know that it is the Taper, so big set changes are not possible, but I felt like the space was too open - there were no distinctions between rooms or areas, and it just felt a bit awkward. There were some uses of a transparent backwall that were very creative - again, without spoiling the ending, made the final scene very spooky.


I've rarely seen bad productions at the Taper, and this one was no exception.  Even if you have seen the show thousands of times (like I have) and read it (like I have) and love the movie (like I do), this new production will blow your old impression of the show away, and make you think. Because, in the end, isn't that what the theatre is supposed to do? If you have time and even if you don't have time, I strongly reccomend going to see it. Its playing at the Mark Taper Forum downtown until October 17.