Heart of Glass
The Glass Menagerie, Corpus Playroom, 11-15 Feb, 7pm
The Glass Menagerie is a memory play that promises to give us 'truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion'. From the silent and dimly lit opening, as Tom Wingfield reveals the set from beneath their dustcovers, we are dealt with a sincere but generally humourless interpretation of Tennessee Williams' play about escape and regret. With a dedicated cast and inspired set this production is often fettered by its cautious approach to an otherwise engaging evening at the Corpus Playroom.
Director Josh Seymour's translation of Williams' expressionistic set to the Playroom works well within the space, until the actors find themselves bunched up against the couch, obviously ill at ease with their restrictive blocking. But a set of steps, representing the stairwell, amplifies the cluttered claustrophobia of the Wingfield's apartment and functions as raised platform for Tom as he narrates his past and makes space for moments of beauty when a spotlight encircles him, suggesting a cross between the bright lights of the theatre and the melancholic indifference of the moon. Another moving touch to the design is an empty picture frame to represent the absent father, its presence throughout serves the various omissions of objects such as telephones, cutlery and the front door which did justice to Williams' intended 'disguise of illusion'. When props were used they were used to good effect. Amanda's notebook, which she uses to make her quietly desperate phone calls to subscribers of The Home-Maker's Companion, reoccurs as she excitedly takes down notes when Tom announces the imminent arrival of The Gentleman Caller, pinpointing the sincerity and comic over-zealousness of her character.
Unfortunately, the acting did not always match up to the setting. Eve Rosato's Amanda packed in plenty of tortured emotion but her performance was undermined by a noticeable lack of confidence and Southern glamour. This might have had something to do with Seymour's directorial caution which displayed itself when Amanda's line "I'll be the darkey" was cut; an entirely unnecessary hindering of Williams' non-judgemental wit which set a rather flat keynote for the rest of Amanda's portrayal. Dave Walton's performance as Tom subsequently overshadowed Rosato's muted melodrama and, despite his broody intelligence, their scenes lacked any sense of a dramatic arch. This atmosphere of floundering and directionless intensity might give justice to the mode of the play but it was difficult for an audience to engage with. Ed Rowett's portrayal of Jim O'Conner, the long awaited Gentleman Caller, provided a casual and slightly bemused presence for the Wingfields; his down trodden charm provided a humorous counterpoint to Amanda's enthusiasm but it had the tendency to trivialise Laura's tragic rejection. Eleanor Massie as Laura was the highlight of the evening and her scene with Jim was heart-breaking; every facial expression, line and movement was believable and worthy of tears from the audience. Which she got.
Despite the apparent set-backs with confidence and lack of emotional subtlety, The Glass Menagerie was a moving and worthy attempt at Tennessee Williams' play, with a cast of incredibly talented actors waiting to be pushed just that little bit further.
Ollie Evans
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ejs66
If often find myself flipping through the review section of a Cambridge newspaper and wondering if the reviewers have been to the same production as myself. Are they trying to give an accurate comment that sums up the opinions of the audience as a whole and informs future audience members of what they are likely to see? Or have they instead decided to have a few minutes on their soapbox to show that they read a play for A Level and now disagree with the directorial vision in this production. I fear that it is often the latter, which is not only a shame for the actors and production team involved, but also leads to the current bemused state in which I find myself.
I do agree with a number of Mr Evans’ comments and feel they were eloquently expressed and many of them justified. I do however find it hard to agree with points relating to this being a ‘humourless interpretation.’ I do not know how the first night audience reacted, but I find it hard to believe that their reaction can have been so very different to that of Thursday’s, who roared at moments of visual and verbal hilarity and chuckled through much of the rest. I also find it odd to call a production ‘difficult for an audience to engage with’, when one later admits it being capable of bringing an audience to tears; in my experience an audience member this moved, could not be anything but engaged. As for criticisms of individual characters, it is surely poor form to criticise beautifully realistic performances just because one clearly has a fondness for the melodramatic. Yes the audience may have enjoyed Miss Massie’s pained expressions and emotional breakdown, but I can’t see that this was any more moving than the faded glamour positively exuded by Miss Rosato in her coy looks and flirtatious mannerisms, evoking a sense of southern charm which, when juxtaposed with her current position, made her portrayal of Amanda all the more heartbreaking.
I do not write this response as a critique of Mr Evans’ article at all, and this is not how I wish it to be taken. I simply desire to present the discrepancies so often found between reviewers and more humble members of the audience; perhaps if these experts of Cambridge drama could look up from their notepads they would witness other audience members truly enjoying, and ‘engaging’ with, the performance even if they do not, and is that not after all what theatre is about ?
March 14th, 2008
oe209
how can a review be anything but an audience member’s individual response? The liveness of theatre inevitably leads to subjectivity and, although i’ve written a few reviews, one shouldn’t accept them as a yardstick of quality.
And i do believe that an audience member’s response can go from one extreme to the other, from lack of engagement, to a sudden emotional surprise. Student theatre is often a patchwork of style and i find that quite a few of the most moving experiences i’ve had were during an amateur production that suddenly seared through its imperfections.
June 22nd, 2008