The Glass Menagerie

Inside the Upstairs Theatre at Belvoir, the stage is dressed as a dissected homestead. At its centre is a kitchen table, and to its left is the front door and porch. To its right is an alcove with window. And at downstage is an open space to serve for all manner of cameo-appearance rooms.

In true Tennessee Williams style, The Glass Menagerie is the story of dreams, reality and family – coupled with a taste of the American South. It’s an autobiographical piece about Tom Wingfield (Luke Mullins), a factory worker with little ambition for work and all the passion for poetry. After having been abandoned by his father years prior, his family now consists of a doting mother, Amanda (Pamela Rabe), and a crippled older sister, Laura (Rose Riley).

Amanda spends her days reminiscing on a romanticised youthfulness filled with multiple suitors. But with her husband courting freedom in a “long-distance relationship”, all her hopes are pinned on Laura and the gentleman callers who never call. Childish and directionless, Laura harbours little care for the future, preferring to spend her days wandering through parks and museums and cleaning her menagerie of glass animals to learning the ladylike qualities that has seen her peers married off.

As the story progresses, with each character seeking their own means of freedom and happiness, the characters burn little holes into the audience’s mind. It’s not the script or poetical prowess of Williams that lets this production down (how could it?) but the execution of his words that hampers our connection. Perhaps, yes, it would have been a betrayal to stray from its American roots, but in holding true to the authenticity of annunciation, the play loses compassion, dialogue flow and believability, leaving us caring little for the future of these ‘characters’.

All commendation, however, must go to the production and cinematography, which can only be described as stunning. Cameras manipulated by the actors deliver black-and-white visions onto two overhead screens, driving emotion into the performance on the back of classic Hollywood glamour. They peer through windows and capture the characters’ gaze with such beauty and artistry they’re sure to leave you breathless.

3/5 stars