The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie

Belasco Theatre

May 20, 2017

Photo courtesy of The Glass Menagerie

Tennessee Williams’ words ring powerfully clear and vigorous in Director Sam Gold’s stark and poignant interpretations of The Glass Menagerie.  It is truly breathtaking.  The bare stage magically lends itself to the illusion of memory that Mr. Williams poetically inspires.  The phenomenal cast draws you in and engages you on a profoundly emitonal level.

The stage is empty, except for a table and four orange chairs.  Tom (played by Joe Mantello) enters and tells us, “I have tricks in my pocket.  I have tricks up my sleeve.  But I am the opposite of a stage magician.  I give you truth in the peasant disguise of illusion.”  The truthful moments abound as Tom brings us deep into his intimate memory of the relationships and struggles between him and his mother, Amanda (played by Sally Field), and his sister, Laura (played by Madison Ferris).  He takes us back to the 1930’s “when the huge middles class of America was matriculating in a school for the blind.”  Amanda worries about Laura’s future.  She pays for her to go to business school, but due to Laura’s shy nature and social disability, she drops out.  Amanda convinces Tom to invite a friend from his factory job to dinner as a “Gentleman Caller” for Laura.  When Tom brings home Jim (played by Finn Wittrock), Laura is paralyzed with fear.  Jim charms her in a candle-lit scene that allows her to see herself truthfully.

Madison Ferris, Sally Field, & Joe Mantello
Photo courtesy of The Glass Menagerie

Joe Mantello’s portrayal of Tom is tender and troubled.  The love he feels for his sister and his mother is genuine, yet his need to escape the stagnation of his life in St. Louis is crushing.  The relationship between him and Sally Field’s Amanda is realistic in its fire and sensitivity.  These two actors are phenomenal in these roles.  The moment when Amada asks Tom to bring home a gentleman caller for his sister is heart stopping.  The scene between them when Tom explains how Laura is different than other girls is emotionally gripping.  Joe Mantello’s Tom is clearly his mother’s son, complete with a flair for the dramatics.  It is Tom’s need to break the intimate bond between these two characters that creates the main conflict of the play.  This is clearly defined and powerfully interpreted by these two stellar actors.  

Photo courtesy of The Glass Menagerie

Madison Ferris’ Laura is strong and stoic.  She uses her withdrawal as a means to find inner strength.  She is calm and resilient in the face of her mother’s disapproval and outlook.  Due to her physical disability, the care and patience she receives from her mother and brother become a driving force in the main conflict.  The continual provision of this care is of utmost importance to the both of them, yet their ability to maintain it is constantly in question.  The image used in the poster for this production, which is distinctly atypical, is perfectly chosen for Mr. Gold’s version of this play.  Instead of the usual representation of the fragility of Laura’s character, it symbolizes her strength and perseverance.

Photo courtesy of The Glass Menagerie

The description Tom gives of Jim as “the most realistic character in the play, being an emissary for a world of reality that we were somehow set apart from” is impeccably portrayed by Finn Wittrock.  He is energetic and optimistic, and turns the world of the play upside down.

Sam Gold made profound choices in his direction of this American classic that create a visceral experience beyond expectation.  The closing scene is hauntingly insightful.  Unfortunately, this astounding production ends its limited Broadway run on May 21. 

Domenick Danza