Take a Trip Down Memory Lane at Blue Moon Theatre’s The Glass Menagerie
by M. Smith
The autumn leaves are falling, the time for telling stories and reminiscing has come; a time of memories and recollections, a time for families and friends to sit around and reflect on the year that was. You reflect on the years that were a thing of the past, the journey you’ve taken, and how it has all led to where you are now. A similar story of memories can be found at the Blue Moon Theatre’s Production of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. As one of, “Williams’ most autobiographical work,” notes the production’s director, Bryan Hagelin, this work takes you into the life of Tennessee Williams through the backdrop of a family in the 1930’s in St. Louis trying to get by after the abandonment of their father. The stunning set design by Bryan Hagelin is one that showcases the ability to see through the masks of this family through having transparent furniture set on the stage. Furthermore, the construction of a terrace and other crucial parts of the design by Greg Hammell & George Lipari truly expands the Blue Moon Theatre’s space to transport audiences to a small apartment and the confinement that this family feels; in more ways than one. As the lights dim, and the chatter subsides, you welcome the story of Tennessee Williams, and how the talented production team and cast have worked diligently to portray the story on a cold autumn night.
To begin the show, audience members are introduced to Tom Wingfield, played by Gian Dante Verderose, as he begins to discuss the first present theme in this show being that of illusions. Verderose expertly plays into this illusionary theme as the audience is clearly able to see that there is something that he is always holding back just beneath the surface. This theme of illusions is one that is beautifully alluded to from the very beginning through having the remaining characters in this story behind a white curtain and back lit to only reveal their shadow. This is thanks to the work of Lighting Designer Nance Reeves, whose lighting design highlights the illusion and imagery that Williams’ embodies throughout this work. This embodiment of illusion is also seen in the character of Amanda Wingfield, played by Cheryl Stark, the mother of the family who portrays the quintessential Southern charm and facade of St. Louis. Stark effectively showcases the facade that Amanda tries so hard to put on to the outside world that everything is fine, when things are anything but. Audiences are able to see this in the moments where Amanda can be found busying herself with how her children are presenting themselves, how the house is arranged, and worrying about what others will think of her and the family. Furthermore, Stark effectively shows moments where Amanda’s limits are continuously reached as she comes to terms with the cards that she has been dealt, and desperately finds an out wherever she can to provide for herself and her children. All in all, Stark brought to life the illusion that Verderose introduced at the exposition of this wonderful play.
Following the theme of illusion comes that of secrecy, an important distinction for a play such as this one. While illusion is one that still is able to be observed, the secrets of this family and its members is one that very rarely makes itself known. For example, throughout this production, Amanda consistently rebukes Tom for always staying out so late and turning to drink. When asked where he is going off to, Tom always replies with, “...the movies.” In these moments, Verderose expertly aligned the secrets that are present in these moments and the secrets that Williams’ so effectively dispersed throughout this work. While audiences never will gain the satisfaction of knowing where Tom is off to, Verderose makes interesting choices in the delivery of, “...the movies,” and to me, seems like hesitation on whether his secret is worth keeping. This then leads to a beautiful monologue in Act I where Tom has also reached his limit with Amanda’s constant beratement. He begins to lament all of these terrible places that he could go, still refusing to reveal where he has actually been.
This theme of secrecy, while in a different way, is also portrayed through the character of Laura Wingfield, played by Angela Robb. Laura is a character that is not considered “normal” by her family and the rest of the world. Her secrets come in 2 forms through this production: omission and suppression. Near the beginning of Act I, Amanda reveals that she knows Laura has dropped out of a business typewriting class as a result of having a panic attack on her first day. This humiliation and struggle led Laura to drop the class and instead explore the world around her to maintain the facade of being at class. While this theme of secrecy is key to Laura’s story, her suppression of her true feelings is something that is infinitely more interesting to this piece. In moments of distress amongst the family, audiences are clear to see how these affect Laura through Robb’s masterful embodiment of how anxiety and mental health struggles manifest for Laura. An example of this is where we see Laura attempting to calm herself during an explosive argument between Tom and Amanda, with her then subduing herself at the entrance of her brother and mother back into the room. Robb effectively showcases this theme of secrecy of self through her strong acting choices and effective use of showing the audience the story of Laura, who struggles to be herself and move into a world that is unaccepting and cruel.
Our final form of secrecy comes in the form of The Gentleman Caller, played by Andrew Fralinger. I avoid providing the name of The Gentleman Caller so as to not provide spoilers for anyone who does not wish to know the caller’s identity. Nevertheless, The Gentleman Caller is the character in this production who truly begins to understand Laura and help her find comfort in herself. Fralinger depicts this character wonderfully, as he showcases the charisma and care that the Gentleman Caller undoubtedly has. In moments where he connects with Laura, their chemistry is undeniable on stage as both Robb and Fralinger effectively manifest both Laura and The Gentleman Caller shedding some of their secrets and personality that they hide from the world. However, these moments are cut short after a shocking secret about The Gentleman Caller is revealed (again, no spoilers to be found here!) which leads to a heartbreaking moment where the audience who has just seen Laura open herself up to him to now revert back into her shell after discovering how her opening up has led to pain. Fralinger, in these moments, shows the internal pain that comes when a secret is revealed and how it affects others and that some secrets come with a price. On stage, Fralinger effectively embodies The Gentleman Caller’s shift of confidence and pride as well as the moments of openness and compassion for Laura. Thus, as his secret is revealed, it is important to note that there are always more secrets that lie beneath the surface for the characters in this production.
As this is a show where audiences observe a family, it would be remiss to not talk about the theme of familial interactions that comes to play in this production. As a family of three, Tom, Amanda, and Laura each have very interesting relationships when it comes to each other. An interesting fact to note about this work, is that there are rarely moments where all three family members are interacting with each other at the same time, but rather most often 1:1 which highlights the dynamics that can be picked apart in The Glass Menagerie. For example, Verderose and Stark showcase the volatile relationship between Tom and Amanda. In many moments, we see Tom’s sarcasm clash with Amanda’s overbearing nature on more than one occasion. Other than the explosive argument previously mentioned, Verderose and Stark effectively portray the sarcasm and overall apathy in which these two characters will often regard each other with. Meanwhile, Robb and Stark depict the relationship between a daughter and mother, where the mother is constantly criticizing everything you do in order to obtain a husband. In these moments, we see Laura and Amanda interact primarily with Amanda critiquing Laura’s attitude or how she looks, while Laura anxiously anticipates these conversations with her mother. As we see the disparate relationships between son and daughter vs. mother, we see how the family dynamic is breaking apart as Verderose, Stark, and Robb take the stage. Another key relationship that audiences are able to see in this production is the one between brother and sister. While both of their relationships with their mother are one that is middling at best, Tom and Laura seem to have an understanding of the other and how to care for each other. Robb and Verderose beautifully portray this dynamic on stage and it was touching as a brother myself to see their understanding of each other come alive on stage.
While familial bonds are strong, the curse of ambition is one that proves, in this play at least, is stronger. This comes in many forms throughout Williams’ play, and shows itself primarily through Amanda and Tom and how their ambition affects the other characters in this piece. For Amanda, she appears to envision her life as one of comfort for both her as well as Tom and Laura. This ambition is shown through Amanda’s consistent motivation to find Laura a husband that can provide for both Laura and herself. Stark effectively delineated this ambition through her physicality of Amanada as well as her subtext to inviting the Gentleman Caller to dinner. However, we see how her ambition negatively impacts her relationships with both of her children. We see how Laura’s anxiety dramatically increases around her mother, and how Tom is tired of his mother’s overbearing nature and intrusiveness, all leading to their detachment from her. When it comes to Tom, his ambition comes in the form of him wanting to explore the world and become a famous writer and make something of himself; much like Tennessee Williams’ own story. As we see Tom envision this life for himself, we also see the despair and anguish that he holds while being held captive in his situation. Whenever his future comes into question, audiences see Verderose portray the longing for something better that Tom is always vying for. When given the opportunity to leave, in spite of his family’s dependency on his income, Tom takes the opportunity in a heartbeat. As we reach the end of the production, we see how ambition has affected Tom as he again laments to the audience. In the audience, we hear how Tom chased his dreams and saw the world, but how the anguish for his family still affected him in numerous ways. In this production, Stark and Verderose effectively portray the ambition of a broken family and how ambition, while important to have, can also cause negative impacts especially for this family.
Google defines the term menagerie as, “a collection of wild animals kept in captivity for exhibition,” which perfectly defines this production. From a combination of Verserose’s ability to translate Tom’s feeling of captivity on stage, Amanda’s sense of feeling trapped after being deserted by her husband, and Laura’s isolation both within her home and outside of it, the Blue Moon Theatre’s production of The Glass Menagerie is one that meets this definition of menagerie to perfection. This feeling of being trapped and observed is eloquently portrayed through the sound design of Mike Russell, who effectively crafted moments through isolation in moments of roaring silence and subtle world building that reverberated off the walls and drew the audience in. This feeling of observing captive animals is eloquently expressed through the costume design of Angela Robb and Cheryl Stark gave the feeling of the show that the audience is observing a doll house family and their lives. Finally, Verderose, Stark, and Robb all resemble the restless nature that comes with being held captive in an environment that is not serving you or the people around you. They show the hardship that comes with being in a space only to be observed and critiqued, with no escape in sight. With that being said, this production not only ensnared the characters in the world, but the audience as well. As you watch this show, the intimate performance space truly brings you as an audience member into this world of no escape as well.
The autumn leaves have fallen, the cold settles in, and just like that you close your notebook and click your pen. Just as this concludes the Blue Moon Theatre’s production of The Glass Menagerie, so too does the story of Tennessee Williams. A phenomenal production filled with talented actors and production team, this show is one you definitely don’t want to miss! The Glass Menagerie runs Fridays (8:00 pm), Saturdays (8:00 pm), and Sundays (2:00 pm) from now until November 24! Tickets can be purchased here: https://shorturl.at/Zey4Z
